The Long Road Home
by harleygirl07
Summary: Callie and Arizona broke up 5 years ago.  What happens when they find themselves thrown back together?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.

**5 Years Ago**

**Seattle, WA**

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The universe is a cruel mistress. Calliope Torres finally found someone who she loved and who loved her back but then the sky opened up and the rains fell. Arizona packed her things from Callie's apartment and left. She never officially moved in but the apartment had never felt as empty as it did when Arizona shut the door behind her.

Cristina opened her apartment door and found her roommate broken. She had never seen Callie like this before even after the end of her marriage to George and the disaster that was Erica Hahn. Her eyes were glazed over and tears stained her cheeks. She was hugging her knees and rocking back and forth on the floor in front of the couch. Cristina did the only thing she knew to do, she left the apartment and a few minutes later she returned to the living room with Mark, 3 shot glasses and a bottle of tequila.

The next day, Callie woke up in her own bed with Mark beside her.

"What? We didn't? Did we?" Callie asked Mark.

"Huh?" Mark said sleepily as he opened his eyes. "Oh!" He exclaimed as he realized Callie thought they might have slept together, "No, no, we just slept. I wasn't going to leave you alone last night in the shape you were in."

"Ugh. I feel like I died. Why did you make me drink so much?" Callie asked.

"You're the one that was pouring it down my throat, Torres."

"I have to be at work in an hour. Make the room stop spinning, Mark."

"You're not going to work today. I called Derek and told him we were playing hookey."

"Thanks, Mark. You're a great friend," Callie said as she grabbed his hand in the bed.

"Don't go spreading that around, Torres. You know how you can repay me, right?"

Callie snorted at Mark's remark and hit him so hard he rolled out of the bed.

Callie was grateful to have Mark by her side today. The truth was, she couldn't bear to go to work today and see Arizona after their break-up. She knew it wasn't Arizona's fault, but seeing her would make her heart break into a million pieces again. It's just that Arizona and Callie wanted different things out of life. Arizona wanted Fiji and bikinis while Callie wanted a 2.5 kids and a dog.

Callie and Mark migrated from the bedroom to the couch where they nursed their hangovers. The television was on but Callie didn't notice. She spent the day in her head. Mark had tried to talk to her but he was met with silence. She didn't even react to his dirty comments about their past sex life. No, Callie was too busy thinking to hear him. She thought about the past few years and how far she had come in her life, but she couldn't stop thinking about the one thing she was missing – a family. Suddenly, after 5 hours of staring at the television, blankly Callie knew what she had to do. She made a series of quick phone calls before heading over to the hospital, leaving Mark on the couch.

* * *

Even her patients could tell she was sad. Dr. Arizona Robbins had lost her perkiness. That day she didn't make any jokes, she didn't read stories or play games with her patients. Instead, she spent all day with her head down, doing her job and hoping to get out of the hospital soon. Earlier in the day she heard the nurses gossiping about Dr. Torres and Dr. Sloan both calling in sick. The nurses also noticed that Dr. Robbins looked like her dog just died and started the hospital rumor mill.

Later in the afternoon, Arizona was shocked to see Callie entering the hospital. After all, she had called in sick today. She knew Callie wasn't sick – that she was avoiding her. She couldn't take her eyes off the bombshell as she walked toward the Chief's office, knocked quietly, entered and shut the door. She was still standing at the nurse's station 15 minutes later, pretending to work a chart when Callie quietly left the Chief's office.

* * *

Callie couldn't help but notice the piercing blue eyes staring at her as she closed the door. She knew she couldn't just leave Arizona without an explanation – like Erica Hahn had done to her. She slowly walked over to the blonde, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the nearest on-call room.

Arizona was shocked at the sudden attention from her ex-girlfriend but loved the feeling of touching her again. Once the door closed behind them and Callie ensured that it was locked the two exes were left staring at each other.

"I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better?" Arizona asked.

"You know why I called in sick." Callie replied. She paused a moment before continuing, "Ari- Arizona. Last night after you left and all day today I spent a lot of time thinking. Thinking about my life and where I want to be in my life. When I was a kid, I had a picture of what my life would be like as an adult and today I realized that besides the doctor part, I am nowhere where I wanted to be as a child. And today, today I'm going to start to make some changes to get to where I want to be as an adult. So I'm leaving. I'm ready to have a family and I know you aren't. It'll be too hard to see you everyday. To see you, to want a family with you and not be able to be with you. So I'm… I'm leaving. I just handed in my resignation. I just wanted to say goodbye." Callie finished her ramble with tears in her eyes, looking up to meet Arizona's blue orbs.

Arizona stood in silence while listening to her ex-girlfriend speak. When she realized that she was never going to see Callie again her eyes welled up with tears. The thought of not being able to see her everyday hurt more than the feeling of seeing her everyday and not being able to touch her. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing could come out. After several more minutes of silence, she walked toward Callie and pulled her into a hug. A hug she knew would be their last one. Arizona stood up on her tippy toes toward Callie and whispered into her ear, "I'll always love you."

When Callie replied, "I'll always love you, too," All Arizona could do was break down and cry. Callie couldn't stand to see her love hurting and cradled Arizona in her arms. Neither one wanting to break the embrace because they knew then that it would really be over. Finally after a long period of time, the quiet was broken by the sound of Arizona's pager. She had to go. Arizona pulled out of Callie's arms and took a moment to compose herself. She couldn't let the parents of her patients think that she was a crazy woman. Arizona couldn't bear to look Callie in the eyes as she turned around and walked toward the door. She swears she could hear Callie say goodbye as she whispered her own, "Goodbye Calliope."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Present Day**

**Seattle, WA**

Mark Sloan was sitting at lunch in the cafeteria with his normal tablemates – Teddy, Owen, Arizona and Cristina. They had been discussing the latest hospital gossip when Mark's phone rang. He glanced to see who was calling and knew he had to answer. He quickly excused himself from the table and headed for privacy. Five minutes later he returned to the table with a somber look on his face.

"Hey Mark? Mark? Dr. Sloan?" Teddy yelled, trying to get Mark's attention.

He quickly snapped out of his daze, "Huh? What?"

"Are you okay, Mark? Arizona questioned.

"Uh yeah. I just need to go talk to Derek about something. I'll see you guys later." And he quickly exited the cafeteria.

Arizona rolled up to the nurses station and caught wind of the latest gossip, "Did you hear Dr. Sloan is taking a leave of absence?" One nurse asked another.

Arizona couldn't help but listen in, after all, Mark had become one of her best friends in the recent years. They both bonded after Callie left. They both had an opening in their lives for a new best friend and Arizona was shocked when she finally saw in Mark what Callie saw all along – he really was a nice guy and a loyal friend. After hearing that her now best friend was also planning on leaving her, Arizona sought out Mark for answers.

"Marcus Sloan!" Arizona yelled down the hall as she caught sight of him.

"Blondie! Come to your senses? Ready to have a dirty night together?" Mark replied.

Arizona completely ignored his comment and demanded, "What is this I hear about you leaving?"

"Oh, I was going to tell everyone tonight at Joe's. I have to go away for awhile."

"How long is awhile?" Arizona asked with her face scrunched up.

Mark sighed and rubbed his eyebrows, "I really don't know. However long it takes."

"Mark, can I help with anything? I can tell you don't want to talk about it. But you know I'm a great listener."

"Robbins, it's nothing. I just have to go take care of it and then I'll be back. Don't you worry. It gives the nurses time to miss me so they'll be begging for me to take them out when I get back." Mark quipped.

"Alright, Mark. Just be safe, okay. Call me sometime," Arizona said as she pulled him into a hug.

* * *

**Los Angeles, CA**

"What am I going to do?" Callie cried into her best friend's shoulder. "It's not fair. Why him? Why me? Why us?"

"Cal, you're going to do what you've done for the last year. You're going to take him home. Take care of him. Pray. And keep looking for an answer," Addison continued to speak as she rubbed her best friend's back, "Take Jamie home. We've already rearranged your schedule at the clinic. Take as much time off as you need. You need to be with your son right now."

Callie walked back into the hospital room and looked down at the sleeping boy. He was so handsome. He had her olive skin and big brown eyes. She leaned in, slipped under the covers and held him closely, not wanting to wake him but needing to feel him close to her tonight.

The next morning Callie woke up with a crick in her neck and a sore back. She was feeling around in the bed and noticed it was empty. Her eyes immediately shot open, "Jamie? Addison? Where are-?" She stopped mid sentence when she saw her son giggling and laughing with a familiar man, "Mark Sloan! What are you doing here? How did you?"

"Addie called me yesterday. Why didn't you call me first? You know I would be here instantly! I am his god father after all!" Mark retorted, soundly slightly miffed that he didn't hear about Jamie's recent incident from Callie herself.

"I knew you'd come which is why I didn't call. I didn't want to take you away from Seattle. You do have a job there you know. People are always needing new breasts," Callie said sarcastically.

"Uncle Mark! Uncle Mark!" Jamie interrupted, wanting attention after realizing the adults in the room were no longer paying attention to him.

Bouncing Jamie up and down on his knee, Mark replied, "Callie – Jamie might be the closest I get to ever having a son. When he is sick, I will be here. Period."

Callie walked closer and pulled him and Jamie into a tight hug and whispering into Mark's ear, "I've really missed you."

At that moment, Addison walked in and demanded, "Sloan, hand me over my god son!" As she picked up Jamie she continued, "You look beat. Why don't you take Callie to get some coffee while I watch Jamie?"

Mark didn't have to be asked twice. He knew Addison wanted to give him and Callie some alone time to talk, without little ears listening to every word. Mark and Callie kissed Jamie's bald head goodbye and headed down to the cafeteria.

* * *

Shoving a cup of coffee in front of her face, Mark brought Callie out of her daze. Callie looked lost and sad. Mark could see the tears in her eyes as he grabbed her in a tight embrace. He ran his large hands up and down her back, attempting to soothe her sobs.

Callie pulled away from Mark and grabbed her coffee. She took a sip, "We're running out of options. The last surgery and round of chemo have really weakened him…he can't go through that again." Her voice starting to crack, "Mark, he is my world. I can't lose him."

"Shh… don't talk like that, Cal. He is a Torres. Torres' fight. He will continue to fight," Mark continued as if he was trying to convince himself too, "He'll get stronger. We'll do another surgery to remove the new tumors and this time it will work. We'll stop the growth."

"We've tried 3 times, Mark. 3 surgeries. 6 rounds of chemotherapy. He's barely even 4 years old and he's already been through so much."

"You can't give up, Callie. He needs you to fight with him. He needs all of us. And he needs the best surgeons possible. I know you have your life here in LA now, Cal, but…"

"Sloan, don't even say it. I know what you are thinking and you know that can't happen. I can't go back. I… I just can't." Callie cried as the tears started to break through.

Silence covered the table again. This time, Callie was the one to break the silence, "How – How – How is she? You've kept your word, right?"

Mark pulled Callie back and looked her in the eyes, "No, I've never told her about Jamie. She knows we're still friends. I think she can assume you live in LA since she knows I come down here often. But she doesn't know anything. She doesn't ask about you. I can tell she wants to, sometimes. But she doesn't. You know, she hasn't been the same since you left. She lost a little bit of the light in her eyes. The same light that isn't in your eyes anymore too...you know, she can help you. She can help Jamie too."

"Mark, you know why I left. She didn't want a family. She deals with sick kids all the time. And look she was right. Jamie was barely 18 months old when we found the tumor," Callie paused, "She had it right all along."

Mark cut her off, "Don't you dare say that. James Marcus Torres is the best thing that has ever happened to you. And to me too! Do you not remember the first time he said, 'Mama?' You called and woke me up at 2am to tell me," Mark paused, "I love him like he was my own son. You know, I still wish you would have taken me up on the offer to help you get pregnant. Sure he is sick now, but he will get better. He has to… we need him too much," Mark finished as he embraced her again.

Callie sniffled into Mark's shirt, "Thanks, Mark. I know you're right. It is just so hard to see the positive these days. Let's get back. I really need a hug right now and the only one that will make me feel better is one from Jamie."

Mark stood, gently guiding Callie as they both wiped away their tears, "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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"Dr. Torres," spoke the brown-haired young intern while looking at the beauty sitting by the bed, "We need to talk to you about James' latest test results."

"She doesn't talk to interns. Get Dr. White, the oncologist. We only want to talk to him," Mark demanded. The intern stood at the exit to the room with his mouth gaping. Mark leaned in and growled and the intern scurried down the hall, presumably looking for Dr. White.

Mark turned to Callie who was sitting at Jamie's bedside next to Naomi, "Naomi is here, why don't we go wait in the hall for Dr. White. We don't want…," Mark paused while nodding toward Jamie, "to have to sit through this next conversation."

Callie nodded and followed Mark out the door. They were soon joined by Addison at their side. All three doctors looked through the window at the skinny little boy, with no hair, who was laughing at the story his Aunt Naomi was reading to him. They were pulled from their gazes by a cough and they all turned around.

"Dr. Torres – Callie, why don't we go speak in the conference room… alone," Dr. White spoke.

"They're coming with me. They're family. Anything you have to say, you can say in front of them." Callie responded as the 3 friends followed the older doctor to the conference room.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Mark Sloan left the conference room looking defeated. Dr. White had just told him that James' tumor in his stomach had not only grown and spread but it was now inoperable. James' body was too weak to handle any further surgery. The organs are already too stressed by the tumor, let alone what a surgery would do to them. According to Dr. White, Jamie was going to die and soon. He suggested Callie take James home and keep him comfortable on pain meds. He told her to wait for her son to die. Mark was wiping tears from his eyes as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

A familiar voice answered the phone, "Dr. Sloan you better have a damn good reason for leaving me high and dry without a plastic surgeon. You can't just take a leave of absence without telling me and filling out the proper paperwork. Just because I am your friend does not mean you get to pull this crap on me. I am still your boss."

Mark did the best he could to not break down over the phone, "Derek, shut up and listen to me. I'm in LA with Addison and Callie. I need your help."

Derek could feel the hurt in his best friend's voice, "Is everything okay? What's wrong?"

Mark spent the next ten minutes pacing in the hallway filling in his best friend and boss on the situation. He knew that Callie would be pissed but deep down she would know it is the right thing to do for her son. Mark hung up the phone and walked toward Jamie's room.

* * *

"I called Derek," Mark whispered to Addie as the stared through the window into Jamie's room. They watched Callie comfort her son, who was obviously in pain.

"Good," Addie said without flinching, "We both know that Arizona is his last hope. She's the best pediatric surgeon in the country. If anyone can remove this tumor, she can," Addison responded.

"Derek said he'd get the files to her, without the patient's name on them so she won't figure it out before we get there. Now, you need to go tell Cal."

"Mark Sloan! I am not going to be the one to tell my best friend that we have to go have her ex-girlfriend, the girl she has never gotten over, save her child! That is totally your job."

"But she might hit me. I'm too good looking to get hit in the face!"

"Mark!" Addie yelped, "We're going to do this together."

"After you, Red."

The two entered the room. Callie was putting on a brave face for her son. She was laughing and giggling with Jamie as the two watched a Dora the Explorer cartoon. Callie was insistent that her son speak Spanish and Dora was just another way to integrate that into his life. His face lit up anytime the show came on tv because he loved to show anyone around that he could speak better Spanish than Dora.

"Hola Tia Addie! Hola Tio Mark!" Jamie greeted his god parents, "I am learning my Spanish. I'm going to speak it better than Mama one day!"

Addison noticed Callie's face go white at the thought of her son not being around to become fluent in Spanish. Mark spoke up, "You sure will little guy. You need to teach me some Spanish so I can understand your mother when she yells at me."

"It's so easy, Uncle Mark," Jamie giggled at the thought that he could do something that even his uncle couldn't do.

"Hey kiddo – why don't you teach me some more Spanish. I already know hola," Mark continued to distract Jamie so Addison could talk to Callie. They had intended on talking to her together but both knew now that this was the best way. Callie and Addison moved to the corner of the room so they could speak privately.

"Callie," Addison spoke quietly while watching Mark and Jamie, "Mark called Derek today."

Callie's eyes widened in shock. She knew what was going to come next. She opened her mouth to protest but nothing could come out. She knew her reasons for not wanting to go back to Seattle were selfish. She didn't want to face her past. She couldn't be selfish anymore. She had to think for her child. She had to think about Jamie.

Callie finally found the only words she could come up with, "When are we leaving?"

"I arranged a plane for Thursday. We'll fly into Sea-Tac and from there a medivac will get us to the hospital. Mark and I are going to go and pack up everything you'll need for the trip."

Callie nodded, "Make sure you get his blanket. He'll want that with him. And his pillow." Callie paused again, "Does she know?"

"Mark e-mailed Derek his records but Derek promised to make sure his last name wasn't showing. So she won't know until you're there."

Callie nodded again, "I don't know how to tell her."

"Cal – I don't think you'll have to say a word. She'll figure it out when she sees you with him."

Callie nodded again. She looked up to see her son and Mark laughing. She couldn't help but love it when her son's dimples showed. He'd been so sick lately that he rarely laughed and smiled. It was good to see dimples again. She could hear Jamie trying to teach Mark his numbers in Spanish. Mark feigning ignorance, pretending not to know them already. After a deep breath she sighed, "Okay, let's do this."

Callie walked over toward the hospital bed. "Hey baby," she said to Jamie, "Mark and Addie are going to go to our house to get some of your things. Is there anything you want them to bring you?"

"Why are they getting my stuff? Aren't we going home tonight? You said we were going home!" Jamie yelled, he was sick of always being at the hospital. He hated the food, the itchy gown and not having all of his toys around.

"Baby, we're going to take a trip tomorrow. We're going to go see some people who are going to make you feel better. We're going to go on an airplane. Maybe if you are really good, the pilots will let you help them," She said as she kissed his temple.

"Mama, you promise?"

"I promise, baby." Callie answered, looking into the deep chocolate eyes of her son. She had to believe that Arizona would be able to fix her child.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. The updates are going to probably be every other day or every 3 days from now on. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Callie bit her nails nervously as she looked out the window. She could see Mount Rainier. Seeing the huge mountain she realized that was back in the city that she hoped to forget forever. Her heart was smashed when she left Seattle. She knew she couldn't bear to see Arizona everyday without being with her. So she called her best friend in LA and asked her if they had a need for an orthopedic surgeon. Of course they did, with everyone trying to be skinny in LA there was always a ton of running injuries. In one day Callie left her job, packed up her apartment and started her drive South on I-5. She was driving toward her new life. A life away from having to see the blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples everyday.

Her first priority after getting into a routine with work was getting knocked up. She wanted a baby and was tired of waiting for the right person to come along. She thought she had already met that person but she was wrong. She wasn't going to wait anymore.

There are some benefits to being best friends with Addison Montgomery. One of them being her new co-worker and good friend of Addie's, Naomi, a top fertility specialist. Of course her best friend, Mark, had offered up his sperm to help the process along but Callie didn't want to know the father. She didn't want to have to share her son with Mark, even though he would be a great father. She promised him that he would always be cool Uncle Mark. Callie spent a week going through the catalog of sperm donors. She never knew there would be so many choices. She had many requirements – intelligent, athletic, no major medical problems. She knew she found the one when she saw his picture and saw his dimples. Dimples were always a weakness for Callie. Within months of trying, Callie saw a positive pregnancy test and her dreams were starting to come true. She was finally going to have her own family.

On more than one occasion over the last 5 years Callie had picked up the phone to call Arizona. She wanted to hear her voice again. She could never get her fingers to dial the familiar number. Instead, she enlisted Mark to keep her updated. Through Mark she knew Arizona was also struggling but trying to move on. She knew she was dating and couldn't help but smile when Mark told her that Arizona had just broken up with her latest girlfriend. She wanted Arizona to be happy but knew that if she was single then maybe one day she would find her way back to Callie. Callie had even become jealous over the friendship that grew between Mark and Arizona. She wished she could still be there with everyone at Seattle Grace. She constantly had to remind herself that it would hurt even more if she had to see Arizona daily. Soon she was so busy with her son, she thought less and less about her Seattle life and instead focused on her current life.

Now five years later, Callie was returning to Seattle with her four year old son who desperately needed saving by the one person Callie had been avoiding for the last five years.

"I thought I had the perfect plan," Callie muttered to herself as she stared out the window, "I can't do this. I can't go back to Seattle. I have a new life now. I just can't" Callie continued, nervous about getting closer and closer to her former home, "Oh god, I can't see her again. It's going to hurt and I'm already hurting. Just breathe. Snap out of this Callie, you are strong. You can do it."

"Cal?" Mark questioned, "You okay? You're talking to yourself."

"Sorry Mark," Callie replied, "Just nervous."

Mark didn't respond, just grabbed Callie's hand and held on tightly.

* * *

Across town, a blonde, normally bubbly surgeon was looking over a file the hospital chief of surgery, Derek Shepherd had given her this morning. The contents of the file broke her heart. A four year old child was being brought into the hospital today with a massive tumor that was filling most of his abdomen. It had started as a small tumor in his stomach, but it didn't respond to treatments and over a two year span kept growing back. Now, the tumor was in his stomach, liver and bowels. She sighed and closed her eyes before she shut the file.

Dr. Arizona Robbins walked into Chief Shepherd's office and slammed the door before starting her tirade, "Why did you tell these parents to bring this boy here? I can't help him. He's too little and the tumor is too big."

The Chief addressed Arizona, "Dr. Robbins, you and I both know that you are the best. This family is at the end of the line. You are their last hope for saving him." Derek looked Arizona in the eyes, "I need you to try."

Arizona has always had issues with authority. Those issues didn't go away when Derek Shepherd took over as chief, just because they were friends didn't take away the fact that he was now her boss. Derek could see his friend and colleague wanted to argue with him over this case but before Arizona could open her mouth to speak Derek interrupted her, "Arizona, all I'm asking is that you try. He'll be here this afternoon. I've arranged a meeting with his family for all of us at 5pm...Just try, please. This is an important case to me, Dr. Robbins."

Arizona started to speak, "Why is it so import…" When Derek again cut her off, "I have surgery in ten minutes, I better go." And Derek left his office before he could get himself into trouble.

* * *

Arizona went about her day as normal. She spent a lot of time going over the details of the mystery case and also visiting with the patients currently on her floor. She couldn't dwell on the new case as she still had patients to try to save today. She finally had a break for lunch and stopped to sit with Cristina and Owen. After Callie left, Arizona found a strange comfort in Cristina. To everyone's surprise the perky roller girl and the cardio obsessed resident became friends. As she sat down she noticed Cristina had a serious look on her face.

"Arizona! You won't believe the rumor going around today!" Cristina practically yelled at her.

"Cristina – I can't take any more trouble than I already have today. So whatever it is, I don't want to hear it," Arizona spoke.

"Arizona, I think you want to hear this," Owen piped in.

Knowing that Owen was not one to deal with mundane hospital gossip, Arizona knew that this must be important. She gave a nod to Cristina to signal her to share her gossip.

Cristina leaned in closer to Arizona and spoke in a hushed tone, "Word on the street is that a certain former orthopedic surgeon is coming back to Seattle Grace-Mercy West soon," Cristina had a twinkle in her eye as she finished sharing her gossip. She knew the drama that would ensue if the rumor was true.

Arizona sat stunned. She had been taking a bite of her salad when Cristina mentioned the words "orthopedic surgeon." She didn't blink for over a minute and her fork stayed hanging mid air. Cristina and Owen just stared at her, waiting for her to speak.

Arizona broke her silence and began to ramble, "Is she coming back for good? Who told you? Are they reliable? You know how the nurses like to gossip. Only 50% of what they say is actually true."

Arizona was flustered. She had spent five years trying to move on from Callie and the thought of seeing her again made her heart stop. She thought she was over the Latina goddess but her reaction to the news made her think otherwise.

"I am pretty sure she's coming back, Arizona. Meredith told me. And she's sleeping with the chief of surgery so if anyone knows if a certain surgeon is coming back, it would be her."

"Wh- wh- when will she be here?" Arizona asked, still finding it hard to find the right words.

"Sometime this week, I think. I just want you to be prepared. I can be by your side the whole time. I mean, look at you. I think you might have a heart attack. And who is better to fix you after that than me?" she said with a smirk.

"I'll be fine. I mean, it's been what? Five years? I'm fine. I'm so over Callie Torres. I've had lots of girlfriends since her. People line up for me. Look at me. I'm hot. I will show her what she's been missing out on." Arizona blurted out and she stood up to leave the cafeteria. "Today is not my day," she muttered to herself as she headed to do rounds.

Cristina and Owen sat at the table with their mouths open.

"Oh, this is going to be good. I need to make sure I have popcorn ready for when Torres shows up. Arizona is going to freak." Cristina said to no one in particular.

"Cristina, these are our friends you're talking about. You're actually hoping for a showdown between them?" Owen asked his girlfriend.

"Damn right I am. My money is on Roller Girl."

* * *

By 3 o'clock Arizona had all but forgotten the news that her former flame was going to be returning to the hospital. She had more important things to worry about – a meeting about her mystery case was in less than 2 hours. She grabbed Alex Karev and they headed to her office to brainstorm how to help this little boy. She wanted to have a plan before she met with his family. Dr. Karev and Arizona went over every option and Arizona still didn't see one that she felt comfortable with. Not when it involved putting a pre-schooler on her operating table.

"Why are we even thinking about opening this kid up?" Alex asked his mentor.

"Apparently he is a very important patient to the Chief. He won't accept no for an answer. We have to find a way," Arizona replied while stifling a yawn.

Alex noticed her fatigue, "Why don't you go grab some coffee before we go meet the parents. We don't want you falling asleep on the job. That might not be the best first impression to give them."

"You're right Karev. I'll meet you in the conference room at 5," she stated while standing up. She quickly turned around as she opened the door, "Don't be late."

Arizona was walking toward the coffee cart when she stopped dead in her tracks. Standing there, next to the cart, was a familiar sight. One she hadn't seen in 5 years but it seemed like just yesterday. Calliope Torres was standing at the cart with Mark Sloan drinking a coffee. Just like she used to do every day. "She looks amazing," Arizona thought to herself. As she was standing there staring at the couple, Mark turned around and saw her. They made eye contact. She wanted to run away but knew that she shouldn't. "Let's get this over with," she whispered as she slowly made her way to the cart.

Arizona walked up to the window.

"The normal, Dr. Robbins?" Beth, the coffee cart girl, asked.

Callie whipped her head around at hearing Arizona's name called. Arizona nodded in response. Callie and Arizona stared at each other. Each not knowing what to say to the other. Arizona took in her ex's appearance. Callie looked thinner and tired. She noticed she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Her hair was longer and her eyebrows needed a wax. Arizona could tell that she hadn't been taking care of herself. But to Arizona, Callie was still gorgeous.

"Dr. Robbins…" Mark spoke.

"Of course Mark would break the ice," Arizona thought to herself.

"Hi. Um. Hi. Hi Mark. Hi Callie. It's good to see you Callie," Arizona couldn't think of anything else to say. She really wanted to hug Callie. Seeing her so beaten down, she looked like she needed a hug. But it wasn't her place to hug Callie anymore.

"Hey Arizona," Callie mumbled.

"What are you doing here? Cristina told me you were coming back. Are you back for a case? Or for good? Where have you been? I'm sorry. I'm rambling. You know how I ramble," Arizona was able to control her speed, "It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

Callie stood there watching her ex ramble. She could tell Arizona was nervous. She couldn't help but smile. Seeing Arizona again brought back all the feelings she had pushed down deep inside of her. She looked at Mark. Not sure how to answer the questions. She knew all would come out soon, but she wasn't ready to tell Arizona just yet. She had just had a long flight with Jamie and wanted to get him settled before it was too late.

"Arizona. It's okay. Breathe. I'm glad to see some things are still the same," Callie smiled before continuing, "I actually need to go check on something. But, it's good to see you too, Arizona. I'm sure I'll see you around." Callie turned to Mark, "I'll see you in a few." And Callie walked toward the elevator to head toward her son's room.

Mark started to speak, "Arizona…" but Arizona cut him off.

"Are you two together now? You go away for a few days and you come back the same day Calliope does?" Arizona stated, getting angrier the longer she looked at Mark, silently wishing she had a brick.

"Arizona, it's not my place to tell you why Callie is back. But we're not together. She hasn't looked at me that way since you came along. In fact, I haven't seen Callie smile like that in a long time. Now, if you'll excuse me. Lives to save and all that." Mark said as he departed, leaving Arizona standing at the coffee cart speechless.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**

* * *

**

Arizona and Alex stood outside the conference room. They stared through the window with their arms crossed. It was 5 minutes until their meeting. They couldn't believe who they saw in the room. Sitting around the long table was the Chief, Addison Montgomery and Mark Sloan.

"Why are they here for this case? This kid doesn't need neonatal or a plastic surgeon." Karev asked aloud.

"This is getting odd, Karev. First the Chief is really secretive about this case and now Mark, Addison and Callie show up, " Arizona thought aloud to Alex, "Mark has been going to LA a lot. Like twice a month for the last two years, a lot. You don't think?" She looked at Karev with arched eyebrows before continuing, "The Chief did say that this was an important case. Are you thinking what I am?"

"Dude, you lost me once you started talking about Mark," Karev stated, looking at the petite blonde woman who was biting her nails.

"Put the pieces together Karev. Addison and Mark show up with their best friend Callie at the same time as this big mystery case and now they are sitting in the conference room that we are supposed to be using to meet the mystery cases's parents," Arizona paused, "Alex, this boy is theirs."

"Theirs?" Karev asked.

"As in Sloan's and Addison's. The Chief did make sure the boy's name wasn't on any of the files. He made sure to tell me that the name wasn't important yet." Arizona continued, "I can't believe Mark didn't tell me he had a kid. I thought we were friends!"

As Arizona was speaking Callie approached the conference room.

"You going in there too?" Karev asked Callie.

"Yep," was the only reply he got as he watch Callie walk in and hug Derek then take a seat next to Mark.

Alex and Arizona stood next to each other looking more confused than before. "Well, we're only going to find out one way. Let's go, Dr. Robbins." Karev said as they made their way into the room.

* * *

After Arizona and Alex entered the conference room and took their seats, Derek stood to talk, "Now that everyone is here, let's get started. I know it has been a long time for some people in this room but I assume everyone remembers everyone? We don't need to do introductions?" Derek asked, trying to lighten the mood of the room.

Karev rolled his eyes at the comment, muttering to himself, "Of course, everyone here has slept with each other." Apparently he was louder than he thought because Callie erupted in nervous laughter and everyone turned to look at her.

"What? It's true," Callie said as she held up her hands and looked at the faces around the table.

Derek began to go over the case of which all the doctors were familiar. He went over all the previous surgeries, the scans and the x-rays. Then he looked toward Arizona, "So Dr. Robbins, how are we going to save Jamie's life?"

Arizona was still thoroughly confused about the combination of doctors present in the room. The Chief explained the case, which she already knew everything about it since she spent her day going over the file. But he didn't explain anything about James besides his medical condition. She wanted to speak up and ask what both she and Alex wanted to know but she couldn't – fear of authority and all. Instead she just spoke up timidly, "Chief, Addison, Sloan, Callie – I've spent all day looking over this case. There is nothing I can do. It's too much. The tumor is too big and he's too small. With the failures of all the previous treatments, his body can't take another surgery. Since every other surgery has resulted with regrowth and aggressive regrowth of the tumor at that, we have no reason to believe that a new surgery will be productive," Arizona paused and looked at all the faces in the room, "There is nothing I can do. I'm sorry."

Arizona directed her speech toward Addie and Mark, assuming they were the boy's parents. It wasn't until she saw Callie break down in tears that she began to think differently. Mark grabbed Callie's hand as she sobbed quietly. Arizona also noticed that Addison and Mark also had tears in their eyes. The room remained silent except for Callie's crying. Arizona couldn't take her eyes off of Callie. She could see how much pain she was in. She desperately wanted to stop the pain. Alex and Derek looked around the room nervously. Not wanting to make eye contact with any of the three crying doctors in the room. No one knew what to say.

The quiet was broken when Callie sniffled and coughed. Callie looked directly at Arizona and spoke softly, "Dr. Robbins, everyone in this room knows you're the best pediatric surgeon in the country. If anyone can save my son, it is you."

Callie's tears continued to stream down her face as she got up and walked toward Arizona. Arizona was shocked. She thought that Callie was here to support her two friends. Never did she think that this little boy was Callie's. Arizona stood to face Callie and Callie reached out and grabbed her hands. She was overwhelmed by the electricity that she still felt by a simple touch. Callie spoke softly again, this time staring into Arizona's blue eyes, "Please, Ari."

After pleading with Arizona to save her son, Callie ran out of the conference room heading toward her son's room. The only person that could make her feel better was her beautiful son. As she left the room, Addie and Derek got up to follow her.

By this point today, Arizona was getting used to having the dumbfounded look on her face. She stood in silence mumbling nothing in particular as she looked toward Mark.

"Dr. Karev, would you please give us a minute," Arizona spoke, "I'll come find you when we're ready to get started on Jamie."

Alex nodded and left the room.

"Arizona," Mark preemptively cut off Arizona's impending rant, "I know you have a lot of questions right now but as I said before, it's not my place to tell. Callie will tell you. She kind of has to now since you are her son's doctor and all."

"Mark, what? How? He's 4 years old! How could you not tell me she had a son? A very sick son at that?

"She made me promise not to tell you anything. You were just beginning to date again when she got pregnant. She didn't want you to hear anything that would upset you. She needed it to be that way to help you move on."

Arizona began to tear up, "Why didn't she call me sooner? He's been sick 2 years!"

"I don't know, Arizona. I had to go behind her back to even get her here now. This has really taken its toll on her."

"How – how is she doing? I mean, I know it is a stupid question. I know she's doing poorly. I can see that just looking at her."

Mark interrupted, "She's not good. This has been a long, long road. She has her good days and her bad days. She puts on a brave face for Jamie. She's staying strong for him," Mark continued, "I'm asking you this not as a doctor but as a friend, as Callie's best friend and as James' godfather – you have to save him. If you don't we're not just losing Jamie, we'll lose Callie too."

Mark stood up, patted Arizona on the shoulder and headed out of the room but not before adding, "You should go meet him. He's a charmer. Even when he's had a bad day and has been through chemo, he still turns on the charm. He's a Torres through and through. Addie and I are going to do our godparent duties and stay with him tonight so Callie will be free, you know, if you want to talk or something."

* * *

It didn't take long for the hospital gossip mill to spread the word about the littlest Torres who was now a patient in pediatrics.

Cristina heard the gossip as she was waiting at the nurses' station, hoping for a good trauma to come in the doors. As soon as she heard the words "Callie," "son" and "cancer" she ran up to peds to find her former roommate. She knew she was in the right place when she saw the crowd gathered outside the boy's hospital room.

"You don't call? You don't write?" Cristina said as she walked into the room.

"Hey… Cristina," Callie stated.

"So what's new?" Cristina asked while looking at the boy in the hospital bed, already knowing the answer.

"Nothing big, you know. Same old, same old," Callie replied, "Oh, by the way, Cristina this is my son, Jamie."

Cristina held out her hand for the little boy, "Hi Jamie, I'm Cristina. Your mom and I go way back."

Jamie gave a meek handshake to Cristina before returning his attention to the television.

"Sorry, he's normally very talkative but he's had a long day," Callie told Cristina.

"It's okay. It's allowed."

"So…" Callie said.

"So…" Cristina replied.

Callie blurted, "I should have called. I know. But I really needed a clean break from Seattle life. I heard you two were friends and I just couldn't deal with that."

"I forgive you," Cristina replied, "but from now on, how about a phone call once a year or something."

Callie laughed and Cristina's pager went off. She quickly said her goodbyes and left the mother and son alone.

* * *

Arizona had meant to head toward Jamie's room after her conversation with Mark but she couldn't bring up the courage to go just yet. Instead she went to the cafeteria. She missed dinner because of Jamie's meeting. She grabbed her food and headed toward her normal table. She saw four sets of eyes trained on her. Trying to change what she knew would be the topic of conversation, as soon as she placed her tray on the table she started, "Did you guys see the Mariners game last night? Can you believe we actually won for once?"

She took a bite of salad and looked up, and she was met with the same set of four eyes staring at her.

"Arizona!" Cristina yelled.

"What?"

"You don't follow baseball. I know what you're trying to do Peds. But there is no way you are getting out of this conversation. So, you know, I went to see him. He really is a mini Torres. Except he's too skinny…and bald but I guess that has to do with the whole chemo and tumor thing," Cristina noticed the glares from her friends, "What? It's true! But really Blondie, suck it up and get in there. You're going to have to go in that room eventually. I mean, you are supposed to save his life and all."

At that moment, pagers went off around the table. Everyone's except Arizona's. She had a feeling the Chief was behind this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"I can do this. I am awesome. I am great with kids. I am great with sick kids. I'll just roll in there, pull out my best jokes and I'll have him eating out of my hand," Arizona spoke to herself outside Jamie's room, giving herself a pep talk, "Just forget that he's the love of your life's son who also has terminal cancer that you are expected to miraculously save. He is just another patient. Just another sick tiny human. You are great, Dr. Robbins." At that moment the door flung open to reveal Addison. Arizona jumped back in surprise.

"Are you going in?" Addison asked while looking at her inquisitively .

Arizona didn't reply to the redhead. She got a running start and wheeled into the room.

Arizona didn't even acknowledge Callie when she rolled into the room. Instead she focused all of her energy on the little boy who created all the fuss around the hospital that day. She whipped out her stethoscope to start her exam.

Jamie's eyes lit up when he saw Arizona wheel in, "Mama! Look! So cool!" as he pointed toward the blonde doctor.

"No way, jose. Do you know how many bones your Mama has to fix because of those shoes." Callie said, shaking her head as she got up out of the chair and walked toward her son's bedside.

Arizona stifled a laugh as she recalled the many times Callie had given her that same speech. She then turned toward Jamie and held out her hand, "Hi! I'm Dr. Robbins but my special friends can call me Arizona."

"Ahhreeezoooo…" The 4 year old tried to pronounce.

"I know it is a mouthful. How about you just call me Ari. Can you say that?"

James started bouncing in his bed, "Ari! Ari! Ari!"

"Good job. Now what is your name little guy?"

"James Marcus Torres," he stated matter of factly as he put out his hand for the doctor to shake, "but you can call me Jamie. Everyone does. Nice to meet you," he continued.

"Nice to meet you too, Jamie. You have great manners."

"I'm 4 years old!" Jamie piped up, "and Mama says manners are very important."

"That they are, Jamie," Arizona states as she finally turned her gaze to meet Callie's eyes. "Now, I need to listen to your heart is that okay?" Jamie nodded as Arizona listened through the stethoscope. Arizona noticed the television is on Dora the Explorer and stated, "Dora is my favorite show. She's super cool. You like Dora too?"

"I love Dora! I know more Spanish than she does! Do you know Spanish?" Jamie questioned.

Arizona glanced at Callie before answering the question. "Un poco," Arizona stated as Jamie's eyes widened, "Now Mr. Jamie. I have a very important question for you. Chocolate or vanilla?"

Without any hesitation the child screamed, "CHOCOLATE!"

Arizona whispered to herself, "Just like your mama."

Callie stood back watching her former love interact with her son. Arizona really was a natural with him. She made him smile which can be a difficult thing to do these days. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard her son scream out, "chocolate."

When Arizona had finished speaking with Jamie, she stood up and straightened her scrubs. Looking back at Jamie she said, "If you promise to read me a story when I get back, I might just find some chocolate pudding on my way back to your room."

"But I'm only 4. I can't read so well yet!" Jamie protested.

"Well, maybe I'll just have to read one to you. If you promise to help me."

"If there is pudding!" Jamie interjected.

Arizona turned to Callie, looking at her, asking if that is okay and she nodded. Arizona moved to leave when she heard Callie speak up, "I'm going to go talk to Dr. Arizona for a minute, Jam. I'll be right outside."

Arizona stiffened at hearing this. She was going to be alone with Callie for the first time in five years.

* * *

As soon as Callie closed the door behind her, Arizona went right into doctor mode. She wasn't ready to be personal with Callie, just yet.

She looked at Callie and started, "Tomorrow morning I want to get started on a series of scans. I know we have all of his scans from LA but I just want to see where we are at today."

Callie nodded.

"Super. I'm just going to run down and get that pudding now. I'll be back in 10."

"Arizona, you know you don't have to do that. I can go get it for him. Or send Mark. Mark likes to be useful these days."

"Calliope, I want to," Arizona stated as she wheeled towards the elevator.

Arizona returned ten minutes later just as she said she would. She was armed with two cups of chocolate pudding and one cup of vanilla. She stopped outside the door and took a deep breath, "You bring pudding to patients all the time. You play with them. It's how you do your job. There is nothing different about this patient." She told herself. Except she knew she was lying. This patient was different.

She lightly knocked and entered the room. Jamie spied her instantly, "Ari! You came back!"

"Just like I said I would! Now, here is your pudding," she said as she passed him his cup. She also passed one to Callie who was sitting in the chair closest to the bed.

"Thanks," Callie murmured.

"Anytime," Arizona said as she turned to face Jamie, "Now, I brought my favorite book to read, if you want. Or we can read one of yours."

"What'd you bring?" Jamie inquired.

"Goodnight Moon. Do you know it?"

"Do I know it? Mama reads that to me almost every night!"

"Well then, you'll be able to help me read it, now won't you," Arizona said as she gently scooched Jamie over on the bed to make room for her to sit down next to him.

Callie watched as Jamie curled into Arizona's side and looked at her in awe as she began to read the book. Callie thought she was dreaming. She had this dream many times over the last 4 years. The dream of Arizona reading _their _child a book before bed. But this was real-life and James isn't Arizona's son. Callie listened to the story and smiled when Jamie would speak up with the lines he remembered. By the end of the book, the little boy had fallen asleep against Arizona with a half eaten pudding cup still in his hand. It was a miracle the cup hadn't turned over and made a mess all over the bed.

Callie and Arizona made eye contact and Arizona worked her way out of bed, trying her best not to wake up the little boy. She smiled at Callie and left the room.

* * *

As she made her way out of the room she ran right into Mark and Addie. They were arriving to take over the night shift of watching Jamie. For the last week Callie hadn't been away from her son for more than thirty minutes at a time. Tonight, her friends were forcing her to take some time to take care of herself so that she could be a better mother tomorrow. She needed food, rest and relaxation – at least as much as she could get under the current circumstance. All things she wasn't getting sleeping in a chair next to a hospital bed.

Arizona couldn't bring herself to leave the area outside of Jamie's room. She had already been at the hospital two hours longer than her shift required, to stay and spend time with Jamie. She has been up for over 24 hours now and knew she needed sleep. If she was going to be able to help Jamie, she had to be at the top of her game. The lure of sleep led her away from the room and into the Attendings' Lounge. Instead of heading home, she decided just to crash on a bed there. Today was a traumatic day for her and she just didn't feel up to driving the 10 miles to her house.

Arizona was in the top bunk trying to calm her mind and lull herself into sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Callie and Jamie. "How am I going to fix him?" she muttered to herself, "If I can't fix him, Calliope's world will shatter. She'll never look at me again. I can't be responsible for that." Just as she was finishing her tirade to herself the door opened. The darkness of the room concealed who had entered. Whoever it was that entered was quiet. They didn't say anything. They just slipped off their shoes and laid down in the bunk below her. After another 10 minutes of silently thinking to herself about how she was going to fix this mess, Arizona heard the quiet sobs from the bunk below her. She knew that cry. Arizona had heard that cry many times from Callie during their relationship. Arizona's heart was breaking listening to her former lover cry in the bunk below her. She knew it was no longer her place but she couldn't hold back. Arizona slipped off the top bunk to comfort Callie.

Arizona gently placed her hand on Callie's shoulder. Callie was startled as she felt the warmth of another on her body. She opened her eyes to look at the offending party. Through the tears she saw it was Arizona, "Hey." she greeted.

"Hi," Arizona whispered back, "can I do anything?"

Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and pulled her into a hug still staying silent besides her crying.

Arizona relaxed into the embrace as she stroked Callie's hair, "Shh. Just let it all out. I'm here. I mean, I'm here if you want me to be. If you want me to leave you alone, I will do that too. I just…You just really shouldn't be alone right now," Arizona rambled. She didn't mean to ramble but she just doesn't know what to say around Callie anymore.

All Callie could say was, "Stay." So Arizona stayed. She held Callie all night. She held her while she cried and she held her when the sobbing stopped and she felt Callie's body give into sleep. Arizona laid in bed watching the beauty against her. Stroking her hair, trying to calm her former lover.

Holding Callie again felt right to Arizona. It was a feeling she had been missing for the last four years. It was the feeling that she tried to have with countless other women, none lasting more than six months before Arizona realized that they couldn't make her feel as good as Callie did. With Callie it felt like home. After Arizona felt Callie fall asleep, she was finally able to let herself succumb to sleep as well.

The two slept soundly until Arizona's pager went off at 6am. Even though it had been 4 years since Callie was a slave to the pager she still awoke with a startle.

"Is it about Jamie?" Callie asked groggily.

"No, emergency came into the ER," Arizona said while putting a piece of Callie's hair behind her ear, "I have to go."

"Um, Arizona. Th… Thanks. For last night. I haven't slept that well in weeks," Callie stumbled over her words, not wanting to look Arizona in the eyes.

"You're welcome, Calliope. I'll see you at 8 to start the tests."

"Yeah, 8." Callie replied as she watched the petite blonde head out of the room.

* * *

No sooner after Arizona left, Addie appeared in the doorway with two coffees in her hand. Even after being awake all night in a hospital room, Addison Montgomery still looked like perfection in her jeans, top and signature heels.

"Here," Addison stated as she thrust a coffee cup at Callie, "I figured you could use this."

"Is Jamie up yet? Did he get a lot of sleep?"

"He's still sleeping. He had a fitful night of sleep, finally conking out around 2am."

"I knew I shouldn't have left him. I should have been there to hold him," Callie said as she began to tear up again.

"Cal – you and I both know that he still wouldn't have fallen asleep any better had you been there. Mark held him all night. He has good arms for sleeping in, you and I both know that too. Plus, you needed to get a good night of sleep yourself. The next few days are going to be long for you," Addison paused, "I peeked in here before and saw you curled up with a certain blonde ex-girlfriend. What is that all about?"

"I don't know Addie. I guess she was on the top bunk sleeping when I came in. She heard me crying and held me. I knew I shouldn't have let her but it felt so good. It brought back too many old feelings. And seeing her with Jamie. I didn't realize how much it would hurt seeing her again," Callie told her best friend.

"You know Cal. I've been watching Arizona since we got here yesterday. She looks to be in about as much pain as you have been with all of this being around each other stuff. You know she goes up to check on Jamie every spare second she has. And Jamie can't stop talking about his cool new doctor, Ari."

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that she doesn't want kids and I obviously have one," Callie retorted while sipping on her coffee.

"It's been five years, Cal," Addie reminded her best friend, "A lot can change in five years."

"I can't even think about Arizona right now. My focus has to be on James."

"-And it is! But you can think about yourself too" Addie cut in before Callie could finish her sentence.

Callie stood up from the couch holding her coffee in one hand and pulling Addie up with the other. "Come on, Ad, I need to go see Jamie."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Sorry for the filler chapter. Will make up for it with an update tomorrow too.**

* * *

At 8 o'clock precisely, Arizona and Alex arrived at Jamie Torres' room. The room was already filled with the usual suspects as well as Miranda Bailey and Cristina. Arizona and Alex entered the room and found no one noticed their arrival. Everyone's attention was on the little boy wearing Bob the Builder pajamas and a beanie on his head.

"Anita who?" The crowd asked.

"Anita bath!" crowed Jamie who was doubled over in laughter and the crowd also made sure the boy knew they thought his joke was just as funny. Miranda turned around to see Arizona and Alex. She looked at them knowingly and nodded. She turned back to Jamie, "It was very nice to meet you James. I think it is time I get back to work so you can go play with Dr. Arizona." The other guests in the room followed her suggestion and soon the room was much quieter, leaving only Callie and Derek by Jamie's bedside.

Arizona immediately moved to sit next to Jamie and instantly put on her best smile. "You look like you are feeling good today," she stated, "it must be the chocolate pudding. The pudding is magic. It always makes me feel better." James just giggled in response to the bouncy blonde sitting next to him.

Arizona then turned to acknowledge Callie and Derek while still speaking to Jamie, "Today you're going to hang out with my friend Alex, if that is okay with you," she stated as she motioned for Alex to come next to her, "Alex doesn't like to tell people, but he has super powers. You see, he has an unlimited supply of chocolate pudding. So when you start to not feel so good, you just tell him and before you know it, he'll have some of that magic chocolate pudding there to make you feel all better." Arizona stated as she rubbed Jamie's belly.

"Is he going to hurt me?" Jamie asked, giving Arizona his best puppy dog eye face.

"No, he won't hurt you. He's going to take you on an adventure through some super cool spaceships that will take your pictures. They'll take lots of pictures of your whole body… so make sure to smile. You don't want to be looking sad in your pictures, do you?"

Jamie shook his head, no.

"Before you start your adventure, I do need to make sure you are cool enough to go with my friend Alex. You see, only the coolest kids can hang out with Alex. So, I need to do a little test. I'm not going to lie to you, Jamie. This part might hurt for just a second. But, if you don't do this, then you can't go play with Alex today." Arizona continued as she looked toward Alex who had all of the supplies ready to draw blood. "So James, you have to be very brave for me for the next minute, okay? I know how brave your Mama is, so can you be brave like her?"

James nodded.

Normally, a nurse or intern would do the blood draws but James was special. She did not trust his little veins to an incompetent nurse or intern. She didn't want him to have to sit through multiple sticks just to get the right vein.

While Arizona put her gloves on and got ready, Alex struck up a conversation with the little boy. Alex had really grown into his own in the Peds department. Arizona listened to the two guys talk about Bob the Builder while she snuck the needle into James' arm. The little boy didn't even flinch, he was too engrossed in the debate with Alex over just which episode of Bob the Builder was the best. "Just like I thought, just as strong as his mom," Arizona thought to herself.

In less than a minute Arizona had all of the blood she needed for her tests and Alex had James loaded into a wheelchair ready for his adventure around the hospital. Callie tried to insist on accompanying him but Derek was able to stop her. Saying that he'd let her know the results as soon as possible but she needed to let his doctors do their jobs.

As Arizona watched Alex wheel Jamie out of the room, she turned toward the Latina, "I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast this morning. Do you want to join me? Jamie's going to be a few hours before he gets back."

"I'm not hungry. I'm going to just wait here." Callie replied while staring at the empty hospital bed.

"Calliope, look at me," Arizona demanded while catching the gaze of Callie's brown eyes, "You need to take care of yourself. I can't have you passing out on me because you haven't eaten in a day. I already have enough patients. I don't need one more."

Callie knew Arizona was right and with a shrug of her shoulders she and the blonde headed toward the cafeteria.

* * *

The two remained silent on their walk to the cafeteria. When they entered, it seemed like the whole cafeteria stopped talking and stared at them. It seemed that way, because it was true. Everyone in the hospital, even the newer employees knew who just entered the cafeteria together. What was once Seattle Grace-Mercy West's hottest couple had just entered the room. They went through the line and ended up at a table in the corner. Arizona knew everyone was watching them and talking, she wanted to shield Callie from as much gossip as possible during this time.

Neither woman wanted to bring up what happened the previous night so instead they just pretended like it didn't happen.

"Calliope," Arizona stated looking at her tray, "I said you needed to eat. A poptart does not constitute breakfast. I don't think you let Jamie get away with that for his breakfast."

"I'm just not hungry," Callie said coldly as she played with her food.

"Well, eat that and then we'll see about getting you more food. Oh! I'll get you a doughnut!"

Callie felt Arizona staring at her as she smiled when she said the word doughnut. Callie couldn't forget Arizona's comfort food was doughnuts. "I don't want to talk about him. I can't. I really want to go a few hours without crying today. Okay?" Callie asked as she looked up from her poptart toward Arizona.

"Okay," Arizona accepted, knowing it was not the time to press Callie, "So you're living in LA now?"

"Yeah," Callie stated. Not wanting to converse only in one word answers she decided to elaborate, "I work at Addison's clinic. You know LA – everyone is way too healthy for their own good. People there literally run themselves to death."

"I'm sure you get a lot of nice athletic injuries there?"

"Yeah, plus it is stable hours. No getting paged at 3 in the morning anymore. I make my own schedule."

"That sounds nice," Arizona thought as she reflected on the long hours the hospital puts on her. She hadn't had a weekend off in over a month. In fact, her last girlfriend left her because she didn't have enough time for her, or so she said.

"It is," Callie replied with a slight smile, "but I do miss the surgeries. I really only get ACL repairs. Nothing exciting. Nothing that really makes me think, you know? But, if it means I get more time at ho…" Callie cuts herself off before she can finish her sentence, not wanting to bring up home. She was trying to not think about her own problems for the duration of breakfast. Instead she changes the subject, "Anything new here in the hospital?"

"I'm sure Mark keeps you updated on the latest gossip. You know Yang and Owen are constantly on and off again. I think this time they might actually last though. Meredith and Derek actually got married and not just post-it married. And I swear the interns get stupider each year." Arizona quickly stated, knowing full well that Callie knew everything that happened in the hospital thanks to Mark.

Callie nodded at Arizona as she spoke, "Cristina deserves happiness. I hope she finds it. Owen was always good for her."

As they continued to talk about nothing at all, Mark entered the cafeteria and headed toward the table. He couldn't bear to look at Callie. He started, "Arizona – Alex needs you, he's in your office."

Callie interjected, "What's wrong?" She was alarmed. It had been less than an hour since they took Jamie for tests and Alex already needed Arizona. Something was not right.

Mark took Callie's hand and shook his head. He couldn't speak the words. The three stood up and quickly headed toward Arizona's office where Alex, Derek and Addison were waiting.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**

* * *

**

Arizona was looking at the scans and pacing while thinking to herself, "How could this be? How could it grow this fast?" As everyone in the room was a doctor, no explanation was needed to understand the scans. The new scan was placed next to the previous scan and it showed considerable growth in the size of the tumor. If it was inoperable before it has only gotten worse.

While everyone was gathered around the scans, thinking aloud – Callie sat in a chair with her face in her hands. Her little boy was slipping away right in front of her. The cancer – the tumor was taking over her son's body. Arizona broke from her pacing and saw Callie looking lost. She quickly made her way over to Callie. The group of doctors staring at the scans took notice and quickly left the two alone for privacy.

Arizona kneeled in front of Callie and took her hands away from her face and placed them in her own. Callie looked up at Arizona with tear-filled eyes. Arizona's heart was breaking piece by piece seeing Callie hurting. Arizona took a deep breath before speaking, "Calliope. I know this looks bad. But do you remember what I told you a long time ago? Tiny humans are special. They can survive the unsurvivable. They are resilient. In the day that I've known Jamie, I know he is special. He is just like his mother. He is strong and stubborn. He has already survived the last two years with this tumor and it hasn't beaten him yet. He is not going to let this beat him. Callie," Arizona continued, "I will not let this beat him." Arizona knew that as a surgeon she should not make promises to families. You can't make promises because things go wrong every day even during routine procedures. But here she was, promising the girl she still loved, that her son would not die.

"You know you can't know that," Callie sobbed, "look at the scans. The tumor is growing way too rapidly."

"But I do, Calliope," Arizona said while gently wiping the tears off of Callie's face, "Do you have faith in my skills as a surgeon? I seem to recall you telling me how great I was a few years ago."

"Ari," Calliope whimpered, "You know you are the best. That is why I'm here. I know that you would be the only one." Calliope trailed off while still crying. Callie continued, "Ari – you know you were right."

"Right about what?" Arizona questioned.

"Kids. They're sticky and gooey. You never get any sleep with them around and then… and then they get sick." Callie couldn't contain her wails anymore and she broke down in Arizona's arms.

"Calliope," Arizona whispered into the brunette's hair, "I don't think I've ever been more wrong than I was about kids. Look at all the love Jamie brings to your life. He makes you smile just by even hearing his name. In the day that he has been in my life he has already made it a better place. No, Callie, you were right about kids."

Arizona couldn't control herself as she pulled Callie into a tight embrace while she stroked her back. All the while whispering to Callie that she would save him and while inwardly praying to whatever God existed that James Marcus Torres would not die.

From outside the window Mark, Addison and Derek watched the scene unfold.

"She still loves her," Mark stated.

"Who?" Derek asked.

"They both still love each other," Addison stated matter of factly.

* * *

Once Callie had calmed down she made her way back to Jamie's room. She found Alex and Jamie on the bed playing with toy trucks. She smiled as she watched her son play. She smiled that he was having a good day. His pain was low and he wasn't nauseous. He was actually able to be a kid. Today was a good day for Jamie.

After Callie left, Arizona didn't leave her office for over 12 hours. She had interns bring her food and water. She looked at every scan. She searched every medical journal possible. She was looking for a story of hope… a story of survival. But in the end she didn't find one. There was only one thing that she could do. Open him up, take out every piece of the tumor and hope that he doesn't crash on the table. Arizona fell back into her chair as she realized the gravity of the situation. The little boy had already been through 3 complex surgeries. He had gone through 6 rounds of chemo. All of which weakened his body that was already consumed by the cancer.

Arizona knew that it would be a miracle for his body to even be able to survive the stress of the surgery let alone being able to get all of the tumor that had worked its way throughout the boy's abdomen. Arizona also knew that the only other option for the boy was to send him home to die in his mother's arms. The thought of that made her cry. She had only spent a few hours with James but she was already more attached to the little boy than any other patient she'd ever had. He was a piece of Calliope. He was a living, breathing part of her. He was more of Calliope to love. In that moment, Arizona knew that she had to fight. She had to fight for Callie but more importantly she had to fight for Jamie so that he could have a life.

Arizona had fallen asleep at her desk when Callie entered the next morning. Even with the puddle of drool that had collected under her mouth, Callie couldn't help but marvel at Arizona's natural beauty. Callie gently placed a cup of coffee near Arizona's head, knowing that the aroma would surely bring Arizona out of her slumber.

Arizona awoke with a startle, "Callie – what are you doing here?"

"Derek mentioned that you stayed here all night…that you fell asleep here. I know you couldn't have gotten much sleep so I brought you coffee, just how you like it. Unless you know, you get it a different way now," Callie said nervously as she fumbled with her own cup of coffee.

"No, still the same and thanks. You know I can't function without it." Arizona rambled, "So how is Jamie today?"

"He's… uh… he's in pain today. I think all of the excitement with Alex yesterday really wore out his body."

"I'm sorry, I should have told Alex to take it easy. We can go adjust his meds to make him more comfortable."

"Don't be. According to Jam, it was one of the best days of his life. He had a blast with Alex. They're BFFs now, if you haven't heard," Callie said while sitting in the chair opposite Arizona.

"That is good to hear," Arizona paused, "he seems like a great boy."

Callie leaned back and spoke softly, "He is. He really is."

"Tell me more about him," Arizona asked while taking a sip of her coffee.

"Um. Well not much to tell that you don't already know already. I mean you have his whole medical file," Callie stated.

"Well, start at the beginning." Arizona said as she tilted her head to the side.

Callie started to speak softly as she fondly remembered the birth of her son, "He was born a month early. So he's always done things on his own timetable. He was an overachiever even as a newborn. Even being born early he was perfect, he didn't need one night in the NICU. Though he absolutely refused to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time until he was 5 months old."

Arizona nodded before adding, "That must have killed you. I know how much you like your sleep."

"It was rough, especially as a single parent. I was walking dead at work. No amount of coffee could help. My friends at the clinic helped but they couldn't be there all night. Even when I was utterly exhausted I still had this beautiful baby to look at and all of the tiredness went away when I saw his face."

"Do you have any pictures?"

Before Arizona could finish her sentence Callie had whipped out her cell phone. Like any parent, she always had pictures of her baby on her. She brought up Jamie's newborn pictures, "This one," Callie said as she pointed to a picture of a tiny baby with a head full of dark hair, "this one was only hours after he was born. He was tiny because he was a month early. I was so afraid of hurting him. He was smaller than a baby doll. I seriously couldn't believe they just let me take him home. I mean, there should be a class you have to pass or something. The first night at home I was more scared than he was. And this one," Callie continued as she pointed to a picture of Jamie in only a diaper sitting up on the floor smiling at the camera, "that was when he could sit up on his own for the first time. He looked so pleased with himself, like it wasn't a big deal at all."

Arizona watched Callie as she spoke fondly of Jamie. She noticed the twinkle in her brown eyes that appeared every time she flipped through pictures. Callie showed Arizona pictures of all of the milestones – first solid food, first steps, first haircut as well as pictures of everyday life. Arizona felt her heart twinge thinking that she could have been there for it all if she wasn't so selfish. If only she would have considered changing her stance on children for Callie, she could have had the life she was now looking at in pictures.

Callie froze as she got to the last picture on the phone. It was a picture of her baby, smiling in a hospital gown and an IV in his arm, "And this picture," she started, "this was his first time getting chemo. He didn't understand why everyone made such a big deal about the chemo."

Arizona saw the light in Callie's eyes darken. She was no longer remembering the happy times but now the sad times. Arizona wanted to change the subject to spare Callie from further heartbreak but Callie continued, "He was so happy that day. He had no idea what was about to happen to him. He was so young… still a baby. He was working on speaking with more than just baby talk but only me and Addison could really understand what he was trying to say. He felt comfortable in the hospital room because he spent so much time at the clinic with me and my friends while I was working. He had no idea that he was about to get this poison put into his tiny veins. He was talking about how he wanted a real puppy, like the puppies he saw on television. I knew we didn't have time to take care of a puppy… knowing what the tumor and chemo was about to do to our lives, so I had Mark get him a stuffed puppy to tide him over until he got better. He takes that puppy with him everywhere now. He can't sleep without it. He held it tightly that night when he got sick for the first time. It was the only thing that could calm him down," Callie continued her ramble as she broke down, "I'm a doctor, Arizona. I'm a fucking doctor and I can't do anything to make my own son feel better. God, I'm such a failure. I can't do anything right. I can't keep a relationship, my family wants nothing to do with me, they don't even care that their grandson is fighting for his life, and I – I can't even take care of my own child. I can't keep him safe."

Arizona listened quietly to Callie's ramble but couldn't let her continue when she made a turn toward self-deprecation. Arizona slowly moved toward Callie. She gently took her hand in hers, "You are not a failure. You've done the best you can. You have raised a wonderful little boy. He's a happy boy. Sure he is in pain but he still laughs. He's really, really smart." Arizona lifted her hand and gently brushed a tear off of Callie's cheek, "You are taking care of him. I have spent the last few days watching you with him. When he's tired and not feeling great, it's only you that can make him feel better. Well, you and the puppy," Arizona stated as she saw Callie chuckle.

"Thank you, Arizona. I don't know if I could do this without you."

"Of course you could, Calliope. But having me here certainly doesn't hurt things. I am an awesome doctor, you know," Arizona stated with a smirk on her face.

Callie and Arizona sat there awkwardly for a few minutes with Arizona holding Callie's hand tightly. She squeezed Callie's hand tightly and lightly turned toward her. Using one finger, she turned Callie's head toward her, "So I have a plan. Jamie's tiny body is still a little too weak for my liking to have surgery. I want to start him on some steroids today to strengthen him up a bit. That and a lot of chocolate pudding. I'm talking a lot, Calliope. Don't go skimping there. If all goes well, I think we can have the tumor out 3 days from now."

Callie looked at Arizona with raised eyebrows, "You do know what chocolate does to tiny, fragile little bodies, right Arizona? I mean, he's going to be bouncing off the walls! You're not the one that has to get him to sleep at night!"

"Hey! I am the doctor here and I say it is an order."

Callie smiled at Arizona, "Okay. Just so you know, when he is up at 2am not able to sleep. I'm paging you to come entertain him."

Arizona smiled back, "I can be very entertaining. We'll watch more Dora together. I must admit my Spanish has slipped the last few years." Arizona stood, still holding Callie's hand, "Now if you'd like to join me, I have a very important patient that I need to go check on. But first, we need to stop by the cafeteria for –"

"Pudding, I know." Callie finished the blonde's sentence.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: A short chapter for the weekend.

* * *

Over the next 3 days, every free moment Arizona had was spent in James Torres' room. She always came with pudding in hand. Jamie had gotten tired of chocolate pudding so she would also bring vanilla or sometimes even jello or ice cream.

Jamie always had a steady stream of visitors. Cristina would come by and play with his GI Joe dolls, Alex would play with the trucks but his favorite visitor was the perky blonde surgeon and it wasn't just for the pudding. Even at his young age, he could still tell that his mom was happier when Ari was around. Jamie also liked teaching Arizona new words in Spanish. Jamie had spent the last hour trying to teach Ari his favorite Spanish lullaby when her pager went off. With a kiss to the forehead and a promise to see him later she rolled out of the room.

She headed toward her office where Karev had paged her with Jamie's most recent results.

"I think this is as good as it is going to get," Alex stated while looking over the blood work.

"I still think he is weak but we need to get in there before the tumor grows any bigger. Okay, so you know what your job is in the surgery?"

"Keeping an eye on his blood pressure and other vitals while you take care of the tumor," Alex paused, "Do you really think he's going to make it?"

While flipping through the rest of Jamie's chart Arizona said, "All I know is that if we don't do this, he won't live another month."

"But you're still going to go in and cut open your… former girlfriend's son? And likely kill him?"

Arizona looked toward the floor and sighed, "I have no other choice. I'm going to go tell Dr. Torres that we're ready when she is. Be ready in OR 1 in two hours."

* * *

Arizona rolled back toward Jamie's room. She didn't enter. She looked through the window and watched Callie read Jamie a book. Callie could feel Arizona's presence even through the window and looked up. Arizona gave her the, "We need to talk look." Callie whispered something into Jamie's ear and stepped out of the room.

"Hey," Callie murmured.

"Hey," Arizona whispered.

"So, you got the latest results?"

"Yeah. We're going to go ahead with surgery this afternoon. If that's okay with you? I mean, I understand if you need more time with him. We can push it to tomorrow if you'd like," Arizona rambled not knowing what to say to Callie as they both knew this could be the last few hours Callie had with her son.

"No. We need to do it today. I'm ready. Well, as ready as I'll ever be." Callie wobbled on her feet as she spoke. Arizona reached out to her hip to stabilize her. She gently guided her to the seats nearby.

"You need to go and hold him. Spend the next two hours telling him how strong he is and how much you love him," Arizona spoke as she looked at their intertwined fingers, unable to take look Callie in the eyes. "Alex and I will be in at 2:30 to take him to surgery." Arizona paused as Callie turned to look at Arizona without saying anything. "Go be with your son. He needs you as much as you need him right now. I'll see you soon." Arizona stood up and walked away, still unable to lock eyes with Callie.

* * *

Exactly two hours later Alex and Arizona arrived outside Jamie's room. The scene was much like they found this morning. A room full of friends laughing with the little boy. Arizona could see Callie was trying to put on a brave face for the little boy but underneath her smile was complete and utter fear. Fear of losing her only reason for living.

Arizona and Alex entered and again, the room quickly emptied. Each of the doctors giving Jamie a hug goodbye, knowing that it could be their last time with him. Mark and Addison stayed for another minute. Each telling Jamie that they would see him when he woke up. Mark promised him a real puppy when he woke up, not just the stuffed one. And Addison promised to make sure that his Mama let Uncle Mark get the puppy. With tears in their eyes, Mark and Addison gave their godson one last hug and kiss before leaving the room. Alex took this as his cue to wait outside as well. He could tell his boss needed some time alone with Callie before they left for surgery.

Jamie was excited to see his doctor in the room. He opened up his arms and motioned for Arizona to give him a hug as well. She quickly made her way to the bed and gave him the biggest bear hug she could… well, without breaking his fragile body, of course.

"Ari – Mama says you are going to make me all better today. She says you're going to take out the bad stuff inside me," James spoke as he held onto the blonde.

"I am, little guy. You're going to take a nap and when you wake up all the bad stuff is going to be gone," Arizona whispered into the little boy's ear.

Callie made her way from her chair to her son's bed. She grabbed his tiny hand in hers before she spoke, "Ari is the best doctor I know, Jamie. She's going to make you better."

Jamie interrupted, "Even better than you, Mama?"

"Yes, baby, even better than me. And she is going to take good care of you today."

"Is she going to take care of you too, Mama? Can she fix you too?" Jamie asked inquisitively.

Callie's cheeks blushed and she started to talk when Arizona piped in, "I promise I will take care of her too, Jamie." The blonde and the brunette shared a knowing glance before Arizona got up from the other side of Jamie's bed and walked toward Callie. She spoke softly, "I'll give you two another few minutes alone. If you'd like, you can stay in the OR until he's been put under."

Callie nodded her thanks and Arizona slipped quietly out of the room.

* * *

Jamie lay on the sterile bed in the operating room with his mother sitting on a stool at his head. Machines around him were beeping and doctors and nurses were gathering the instruments they needed around the room. Through the gallery window he could see it was full of people, most in blue scrubs, looking down on him and smiling. He felt at ease with his mother in the room with him and all the strangers. Dr. Arizona Robbins was standing, looking down on him. She had on her lucky scrub cap – it was covered in butterflies.

"Okay Jamie, are you ready to take a nap?" Arizona asked the little boy while looking at Callie.

"I can't sleep without my puppy! Where is he?" Jamie replied as he looked around the room frantically for the stuffed animal.

"I have him, baby. I'm feeling sad today so can I hold him while you sleep? So he can make me feel better today?" Callie whispered into Jamie's ear.

"Okay, Mama. He'll make you feel better. I promise."

"Are we ready to go?" Arizona asked, directed at Callie.

Callie's eyes filled with tears as she nodded. Arizona nodded toward the anesthesiologist to start the drugs. She watched Jamie's eyes start to get heavy.

Callie kissed her son's forehead as she whispered, "I love you, baby."

Right before Jamie's eyes closed for good he said softly, "I love you too, Mama."

"Okay, Dr. Torres," Arizona stated as she was in full-on doctor mode, "I will have Dr. Karev come out to give you updates every hour."

Callie looked at Arizona and pleaded with her eyes while saying, "You. Are. Great," before she quietly left the room

Callie knew Arizona would understand her final words. The words she had spoken the same day they first said the love word to each other. Callie knew that Arizona needed to know that Callie had the utmost confidence in her skills as a surgeon.

With a deep sigh Arizona looked at her nurse and said, "Scalpel, please."

And with that the most important surgery of Dr. Arizona Robbins' life began.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

As Dr. Arizona Robbins began making her first cuts, across the hall in the surgical waiting room were three best friends trying to survive the next few hours of waiting.

Each person had a different way of coping with the time. Minutes seemed to take hours to pass. Time was dragging and there was nothing the three surgeons could do to make it go by faster. Mark was standing and leaning against the wall. Addison was seated in a row of chairs, tapping her feet. And Callie was pacing the room, never looking upwards only at the floor. The three best friends had remained silent for the better portion of an hour before Callie broke the silence.

The clock in the waiting room read 3:50pm.

"It's been over an hour and we haven't gotten an update yet!" Callie cried as she looked toward Mark, "Arizona promised me constant updates."

"Cal…" Mark stated as he walked toward the pacing Latina. He grabbed her arms, forcing her to stop pacing, "You know that no news is good news. Arizona is in the thick of it right now. She would update you if there was something that needed updating."

"Mark, don't give me that load of crap. She could have easily run into problems and that is why she isn't sending updates. You know what, screw this. I'm going to the gallery."

Addison stood quickly to move to block the door while Mark tightened his grip on Callie.

"Calliope Iphegenia Torres," Addison yelled, "there is no way in hell you are going up to the gallery. You know that is not allowed. What would Arizona think if she looked up and saw you?" Addison paused while she looked at Callie who just shrugged, "She will think that you don't trust her. She'll get flustered. And you do not want her flustered while your son has his abdomen open on that table and her hands inside of him. Now sit down, stop pacing and wait."

Callie looked intently at the redhead who was giving the patented Dr. Bailey stare. Callie saw that her friends were not about to let her move so she listened to her friend. She sat in the chair next to Addison while Addison quickly grabbed her hand and held on tightly. Callie relaxed into the chair and rested her head on Addison's shoulder.

Addison and Mark shared a knowing look, both thinking that they should have heard something by now.

Mark watched the clock as it passed 4 o'clock. It'd been over an hour and a half since surgery had started and there was still no update. He might have stopped Callie from heading toward the gallery but that didn't mean that he couldn't. Just as Mark stood up to leave the room, Alex Karev entered looking tense as he walked toward Callie.

Callie and Addison stood and moved next to Mark. Each of her friends held onto her tightly, not knowing what news was coming, to be able to protect her if they were about to hear the worst.

Alex opened his mouth, "I'm sorry I didn't come out sooner," he started, "We've spent the last hour working to remove the tumor. Jamie's vitals have been strong throughout. The tumor has reached a more difficult position to get to than Dr. Robbins anticipated so the surgery is going to take longer than she thought." Alex looked Callie in the eyes and spoke directly to her, "She wanted me to tell you that he is strong and he is a fighter."

Callie nodded. Alex turned toward the exit, "I have to get back but I promise to be back soon."

Mark hurried out after Alex. He could tell the young surgeon was holding back details.

"Karev!" Mark yelled as Alex stopped in his tracks and turned around, "Tell me the truth. How is it going?"

Alex sighed and looked at the tiles in the floor, "We ran into some complications at first. His blood pressure wouldn't stabilize after we had him open. But he came around and we were able to get started. We're working as quickly as we can because we don't know how long the vitals will remain stable. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to get back there. Dr. Robbins needs all the hands she can get, if she is going to do this before his body goes into failure."

Alex scrubbed back in and took his place opposite Arizona.

"How did it go?" The blonde asked as she worked to remove a piece of tumor.

"Okay. Callie didn't say anything. She just nodded." Alex answered as he held a retractor for Arizona.

Arizona nodded and looked up at her crew, "Okay people, we're halfway there. We need to focus on removing the tumor in the stomach, which will be the hardest part."

* * *

When Mark went back into the waiting room, he didn't tell his friends the news that Alex had shared. He didn't want to worry Callie anymore than she already was.

Dr. Karev kept true to his word. He reappeared in the waiting room every 45 minutes like clockwork even though he didn't have anything to update. Jamie was still holding on and they were working to get the tumor out. Callie had remained quiet since her threats to run up to the gallery earlier in the day. Mark and Addison took turns holding her as they sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

The clock on the wall showed it to be just after 7:30 when Dr. Arizona Robbins walked into the waiting room. She walked straight toward Callie without paying attention to the other two doctors in the room. She looked tired. She took off her scrub cap as she walked toward Callie. She took her ponytail down and shook her hair out with her hand. She showed no expression on her face. The three other doctors in the room were trying to read her mind but she showed nothing.

Callie stood as she watched the blonde walk toward her. Addison and Mark stood as well, but not too close, they knew to give Callie her space for this talk. Arizona could see tears forming in Callie's eyes as she made her way to her. She immediately grasped Callie's hands before speaking, wanting her friend to feel a comforting touch, "He pulled through," she started to say as Callie broke into a loud sob. Callie pulled Arizona into a hug as Arizona continued her update, "We got the whole tumor out. He still has a long road ahead of him. The most important being the next few days," she spoke quietly into Callie's shoulder, "We need to see how his body recovers from the surgery. The surgery put a lot of stress on his organs." Arizona made eye contact with Mark who guided Addison out of the room. They would get the rest of the details from their friends who watched in the gallery, but at this moment Callie needed to be alone with Arizona.

Arizona pulled back from Callie and looked her in the eyes. By this point Arizona had her own tears in her eyes, "He's a fighter Callie. I'm not going to lie and say there weren't complications. But… he's still here," Arizona finished as she gazed lovingly at her former lover. She instinctively reached her hand to Callie's face to wipe the tears that had fallen on her cheeks.

Callie stayed silent. Her mind was in overdrive. She couldn't control the tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. She did the only thing she could think of, she leaned down and captured Arizona's mouth in a passionate kiss. Arizona was stunned when she felt the familiar lips on hers but gave in to her ex who needed the closeness. When the two broke, Callie pulled Arizona back into her arms and whispered into her ear, "Thank you."

The two stood embracing in the waiting room for what seemed like eternity before Alex walked in. He coughed, wanting to alert the two that he was present. Callie and Arizona didn't acknowledge his presence. They stayed intertwined. Alex spoke, "James is all set up in PICU. You can go see him now."

Callie pulled back from Arizona and looked her in the eyes, holding her gaze for a moment before leaning down to leave a kiss on her cheek, "I will never be able to thank you enough for this." She left the waiting room with Alex, leaving a confused Arizona standing alone in the waiting room.

* * *

Callie, Mark and Addison set up camp in the pediatric ICU room. Normally, visitors aren't allowed after 8pm but being a former employee and friend of the Chief's had its perks. Even after a long day including Jamie's surgery, Arizona insisted on doing the check-ups on her young patient herself.

Arizona lightly entered the room. All three visitors appeared to be passed out in their respective chairs with Callie's being the one closest to the bed. Callie's head fell forward and she clutched the plush puppy in her hands tighter as Arizona tiptoed into the room so that she could see the machines. She quickly pulled out her stethoscope and gently warmed it before placing it on the little boy's chest. "All normal," she thought to herself as she let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding in.

Callie didn't hear Arizona walk in. She had finally fallen asleep even though she didn't want to. She didn't want to miss anything if something were to go wrong with Jamie. But even with her fears, she was so exhausted after the emotional day that she managed to fall asleep in the uncomfortable chair. She slept soundly until she smelled the familiar flowery perfume in the air. She gently sat up, "Arizona, how is he?" She croaked out. Her throat was dry from sleeping with her mouth open.

Arizona nodded toward the door and Callie followed.

"Everything looks stable," Arizona stated quickly, wanting to put Callie's fears at ease. "He's doing as well as can be. But because of the magnitude of the surgery and how weak he was beforehand, I want to keep him sedated for at least a day, if not more. I want his body to have as much time as possible to recover before we wake him and he starts moving. His oncologist will be down tomorrow to speak with you but we need to get him started in chemo as soon as possible so that this doesn't get a chance to grow back." Arizona moved closer to Callie, stroking her arm, "It's still a long road to go but we're over the biggest hurdle."

"Okay, whatever you say is best," Callie says with a hint of relief in her voice.

"Now as your son's doctor and as your friend, you really need to rest and not in the on call room. Some real rest. Jamie will be out for the next day so you won't miss anything."

"I have nowhere to go. I haven't left the hospital since we got here five days ago. I haven't even made it to get a hotel room yet." Callie stated as she massaged her brow with her hand.

"Why don't I take you to the Archfield? I'm on my way home to catch a few hours of sleep before morning rounds. Alex promised to watch Jamie for me and Mark said he wasn't going to leave his side either," Arizona stated as she attempted to persuade Callie to take care of herself.

Callie didn't want to leave her son alone but she knew that Arizona was right. She needed a good night of sleep. She sniffed herself, and a shower too. She also knew that James wouldn't be truly alone. Mark would be there until she came back in the morning. But the thought of going to a cold and empty hotel room terrified her. She hadn't been left alone, all alone in months.

Arizona could see Callie deep in thought. She thought she looked uncomfortable. She even swears she heard Callie sniff herself. She looked in her eyes and could see fear and emptiness. It was then that she realized what she needed to do.

Arizona reached to grab Callie's hand, "Calliope, I've decided. Don't try to fight me because I won't listen to you. You might be bigger than me but I'm scrappy. So, go give Jamie a goodbye kiss because you're coming home with me tonight." Arizona said in her sternest voice.

Callie was shocked but too tired to fight the blonde. Even though she knew going to stay at her ex-girlfriends house after an emotional day wasn't a good idea, she just didn't have enough fight in her after today. A meek, "Okay," and the two were off to say goodbye to Jamie and let the others know they would be back at 7am and to call and page immediately if something changed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

A/N: More filler this chapter. Will try to update tomorrow to make up for it.

* * *

The drive to Arizona's was quiet. Addison had joined Callie and Arizona. Arizona was sad that she wasn't getting the alone time with Callie she thought she was going to have but, Arizona knew she hadn't left the hospital either since they arrived in Seattle. Plus, Arizona had plenty of spare rooms. The three sat quietly in the SUV as they drove in the dark to the house. Callie was surprised when Arizona turned into a residential subdivision in the Queen Anne part of town. She had assumed that Arizona still had her old apartment. While looking out the window, she thought to herself, "Duh, Callie. It's been 5 years. Of course she's moved since then."

Fifteen minutes after leaving the hospital Arizona pulled into her driveway. It was a modest house by Queen Anne standards. Last year, Arizona was sick of throwing her money away in rent and made the very adult decision to buy a house. This was the first house she saw and her heart was taken. It was a fix-er upper by everyone's standards. Mark, who Arizona forced to come help shop, tried to talk her out of getting it by saying that she is a busy doctor she doesn't have time to get all the work done. Arizona hushed him quickly. It was the perfect 4 bedroom home with a modest sized yard. Arizona put in her offer that day. Within a month the house resembled a construction zone as Arizona had electricians, plumbers and carpenters working to make this house her home.

She put her car into park and motioned to her guests to follow her into the house.

"This is a great place, Arizona," Callie spoke, the first words she'd spoken since leaving the hospital.

"Yeah, this is beautiful, Arizona," Addison added while checking out the downstairs portion of the house..

"Thanks. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I have this huge house for just me but I fell in love with it the first time I saw it," Arizona replied.

"I can see why. It has the charm of an older house but it is completely modern," Addison said as she took in her surroundings.

"I had the inside completely remodeled. It was trashed when I found it. It was a foreclosure that had been abandoned for quite awhile. I liked being able to customize everything I wanted on the inside."

Arizona headed upstairs with Callie and Addison trailing close behind. "These two are guest rooms, both completely made up. The bathroom has towels and shampoo. If there is anything else you need, I'll be right here," she stated as she motioned toward the door for the master bedroom.

* * *

Callie nodded and walked into the first room on the left while Addison walked toward the second room on the left. Callie placed her bag on the bed and sat down next to it. With a deep sigh she fell back into the bed. Her whole body felt weak, like she had just run a marathon.

Down the hall, Arizona heard the shower turn on and headed into her own bathroom to shower. As she stepped into the hot water, she couldn't help but think about all of the showers she and Callie had shared. After 5 years without her, Callie was now just a few feet away. Arizona became lost in her thoughts as she lathered her body, "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Don't think about her that way. She's tired and broken. She can't be thinking about you right now, Arizona. She's thinking about her little boy. He is what is important. Not you." She finished washing her body and moved to her hair as her thoughts continued, "Why did she kiss me? It just…it just felt so natural. Mmm. Her lips still taste like strawberries. God, I still love her." Arizona couldn't take her thoughts off of the gorgeous brunette in the next room.

In the room next door, Callie's thoughts were racing as well. She too couldn't help but think about the sexy showers she shared with Arizona. It was better for the environment that way, she once convinced Arizona. Callie couldn't get the thoughts of showers with Arizona out of her head so she decided to keep the shower short and cold, very cold. After changing into pajamas she suddenly found herself starving. Callie couldn't remember the last time she was actually hungry. It had been weeks, since before they found out Jamie's tumor was back and growing. She didn't have time to think about food as her life revolved around Jamie. Callie decided to venture outside her room and find the kitchen. If she knew Arizona though, the kitchen would be mostly empty.

After a couple of wrong turns, Callie landed in the darkened kitchen. As Callie suspected, there was little real food in the kitchen. After some rummaging through the pantry she was able to find enough things to make some grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.

Arizona took a much longer shower than Callie. She embraced the memories and let the pressure of the day wash over her. When she got out of the shower she noticed she had a page from Karev. Immediately, her body tensed. She quickly called him and found that there was nothing wrong, he was just sending an update that Jamie was still the same. Arizona felt the need to update Callie, so she headed out of her bedroom to the guest room next door. She knocked lightly on the door, assuming the brunette was fast asleep. She knew Callie was exhausted. When she received no answer she opened the door slowly and was shocked to find no sign of Callie in the room. "Did she leave? Wouldn't she say goodbye at least? Was coming here too much?" Arizona mumbled to herself. She decided to check out the rest of the house.

She walked downstairs and could instantly smell something cooking in the kitchen. She walked in and smiled at the sight in front of her. She saw Callie standing at the stove flipping something on the griddle.

All Arizona wanted to do was wrap her arms around Callie's waist and take her right there. Instead, she controlled her emotions and decided to make her presence known another way.

"Whatcha making?" Arizona asked while walking into the kitchen, making Callie jump.

"Oh! Arizona. Sorry. I hope it is okay. I was just so hungry after I showered. You know, you had more food than I expected here. Do you want one?" Callie asked as she motioned toward the grilled cheese sandwiches on the griddle.

"Yeah, I'll have one. Thanks. Sorry, I don't have much to choose from. I don't spend much time here these days."

"How could you not? This house is amazing."

"Lots of tiny humans to save. Still a slave to the pager," Arizona commented as she pointed toward the box of plastic on her hip.

"Oh right. I do not miss that at all. Though I do get 2am wake up calls still… just for another reason."

"I know you don't mind waking up to Jamie crawling into bed," Arizona cooed while grabbing plates from the cabinet.

"You're right," Callie said while taking the sandwiches off of the griddle and putting them onto their plates. "Sorry, I know you hate sandwiches," Callie continued.

"Too bad I don't have the ingredients for chicken picatta." Arizona smiled.

The two made their way to the breakfast bar to eat their meals.

"So, how are you feeling?" Arizona asked.

"Well, I'm hungry. So I think that's a good sign."

"Yeah, I'd say that is." Arizona replied while grabbing Callie's hand on the top of the counter.

The two continued to eat while making polite conversation. Both enjoying being able to talk to each other and the contact they held with their hands.

After they finished eating, Arizona insisted that Callie leave the mess she made, she would take care of it tomorrow. They walked upstairs together and stood outside Callie's room.

"Goodnight, Calliope. I hope you find some sleep tonight." Arizona said as she stared into Callie's brown eyes.

"Arizona… wait." Callie started and then paused, taking her hand and wiping her forehead, "I… I… I can't be alone tonight. I haven't been alone since Jamie got sick. Can you… Can you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?"

Arizona stood there stunned and then smiled, "Of course."

They entered Callie's room and slipped under the covers. Arizona didn't know what to do. She wanted to do nothing more than just hold Callie all night. Instead she laid on her back on the edge of the queen sized bed, just staring at the ceiling fan. She distracted herself by counting the rotations of the fan. Callie lay to her right curled, facing the opposite wall. Arizona was counting the rotations of the fan and as she reached 100 she muttered under her breath, "Fuck it," and she pulled herself toward Callie, throwing her arm around her as she held her tightly. She felt Callie's body tense and she held a breath but slowly exhaled and allowed her body to relax into the petite blonde's. Arizona nuzzled into Callie's neck and felt her drift toward sleep. When she felt her breathing slow, Arizona knew that Callie had slipped into dreamland and she hoped she was having good dreams. Now that Callie was safely asleep, Arizona felt comfortable enough to whisper aloud, "I love you. I've never stopped loving you." She couldn't see the Latina's eyes slowly open and her mouth turn upward in a small smile.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Callie woke up to the sounds of a shower and an empty bed. She yawned and looked at her cell phone. It read 5:15am. For the first time in months, she had slept for more than 5 hours. She felt refreshed. The water turned off and the door opened. In walked, Addison who was towel drying her hair.

"Good morning sleepy head," Addison greeted.

"Morning. I hope you left me some hot water," Callie yawned as she stretched in bed.

"You might want to wait a few minutes… so I saw something interesting last night," Addison stated with a smirk.

"Oh? What is that?" Callie asked inquisitively.

"I wanted to check in on you before I went to sleep. I knew you hadn't slept alone in awhile. But it looked like Arizona took care of that for me."

Callie looked surprised. She thought Addison was asleep long before her and Arizona went to bed. "Uh… yeah. I might have asked her to stay. Again. For the second time in a week, I asked her to stay. Am I going crazy, Ad?"

"You two looked awfully cozy."

"It was… it was nice, Addie. I haven't felt like that in a long time. I felt safe." Callie said while walking to the bathroom, "She said she loved me. She thought I was sleeping but she said it."

"What are you going to do, Cal?"

Callie stood in front of Addison looking defeated, "My focus needs to be on Jamie right now, but… I also can't keep Arizona out of my mind." Callie finished her sentence then headed for the shower, leaving Addison standing with a knowing look on her face. She had a plan.

* * *

Addison ventured down to the kitchen to find the blonde moving quickly between the stove and the counter. She appeared to have already consumed many cups of coffee already this early morning.

Upon seeing Addison she shoved a cup of coffee in her hand, "I hope you slept well," she stated as she flipped a pancake.

"I did. Thanks for letting us stay last night."

"It's no trouble at all. It's nice to have people in this house again. It hasn't felt the same since Karev moved out."

Addison choked back her coffee, "You and Karev?"

Arizona scrunched her face, "Not like that!" she quickly defended, "He needed a place for awhile after Derek finally kicked him out of Mer's."

Addison nodded and looked directly at Arizona, "What are your intentions?"

Arizona still tending to her pancakes, "Intentions?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Arizona sighed and looked down at the pancakes, not making eye contact with the red head, "I have no intentions. I'm just drawn to her. It's like we're magnets. Every time we're in the same room I can't help but stare at her. She's so beautiful. Even when she's at her worst, like this week, she is still stunning to me. The way her face lights up when she's with Jamie. The way she runs her hands through her hair when she's stressed. I just can't stop looking at her," Arizona rambled before Addison cut her off, knowing that Callie would be downstairs soon.

"And what about Jamie? You two broke up because you didn't want kids."

"I never pictured my life with kids in it. I never saw the house with the kids running around, chasing the dog. The last five years have been rough for me. I've tried but I keep coming back to an image of me and Callie together. Still, I never wanted kids, but that was before she had one. I met this remarkable tiny human this week. He's like a mini Calliope. And now that she does have a kid, I still love her. I still want her just as much. I've fallen in love with Jamie as well."

"What about more kids? Callie was going to have another before Jamie got sick."

"I'm not going to say I wouldn't be freaked out, but I know I could do it with Callie by my side. Seeing Callie with Jamie is amazing. To see her with another child as well would be doubly amazing," Arizona smiled.

Addison nodded, liking the answers she was getting from the blonde but still not showing any acceptance on her face, "Just don't hurt her again."

"If I can get lucky enough to have her back in my life, I'll never let her go again," Arizona stated as she plated the last pancake.

Not a moment later, Callie entered the kitchen. "Oh pancakes… wait did you cook these Arizona?" Callie asked while sniffing her plate, lifting up the pancakes checking to see if they were burned.

"Yes, I did Calliope… now don't look so stunned and eat them before they get cold," Arizona smiled.

"These are really good," Callie stated while shoving another forkful in her mouth, "you have some new talents."

"I had to learn to cook for myself sometime," Arizona stated while taking her own bite. "You might be surprised by some of my new talents," she mumbled while chewing, making Callie stop mid-bite.

Addison watched the two carefully while eating. She was happy to see her best friend happy again. She finished her plate and put it in the dishwasher, "I spoke to Mark earlier. He said everything is still the same. And he asked for us to bring him coffee and not hospital coffee – he wants Tully's… if we could stop by on our way in."

Arizona took the opportunity to question Addison about Mark, "You and Mark seem awfully chummy these days, Addison. Don't think I haven't noticed that Mark hasn't been hitting on the nurses these past few months."

Addison's face turned bright red. "Wow, look at the time," Addison stated while pretending to look at her watchless wrist, "we better get going or you'll be late for rounds, Dr. Robbins."

* * *

Arizona stood in the hallway with Alex Karev looking over James' chart from the previous night. Everything looked stable but Arizona wanted to do a checkup herself.

Callie's eyes lit up when Arizona entered the room. She tilted her head to the right while looking at Arizona, quietly hoping everything was still good with her son.

Arizona quickly checked his most recent readings, before scribbling in his chart.

"His temperature is slightly elevated from our last reading. I'm thinking he might be getting an infection," Arizona told Callie who nodded, "I want to start him on some antibiotics right away to stop it before it takes over."

"So, you're going to keep him sedated for awhile longer?" Callie asked.

"With the infection, yes. We need to make sure his body is stable before we wake him up. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, everything will look better," Arizona walked toward Callie, stroking her arm trying to calm her down as she was starting to look upset, "Everything else looks excellent though, Callie. He's doing remarkably well for someone who just had major surgery. He's going to be fine. Trust me."

Callie sighed and nodded as she sat back down by her son and began to read to him again.

* * *

Arizona spent the rest of the day checking up on her other patients. She had passed off most of her caseload to the residents but she still wanted to say hello to the tiny humans and their parents. During her rare free moment, she always wandered to the PICU to check on Jamie. Normally, she found Callie at her son's bedside reading him a story but this time it was Mark who had his feet on the bed, careful not to disturb Jamie, as he read him the sports page from the Seattle Times.

"Robbins," Mark spoke as he peered over the newspaper, "There's been no change since the last time you were here. But you know that, you have the nurses paging you with updates every half hour."

Arizona picked up Jamie's chart to study it herself, "So it appears," she spoke to Mark.

"Don't try to pretend that you aren't a little disappointed Callie isn't here right now."

Arizona blushed, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sloan."

"Blondie, you and I have become good friends. And Callie is one of my best friends. I can tell that you are both fighting your feelings for each other. So why don't you sit down and tell Uncle Mark all about it," Mark stated as he patted the chair next to him.

Arizona rolled her eyes and sat down, "More like Dirty Uncle Mark. But, I do need to talk about it to someone and you have become my person, kinda... She kissed me the other day…like passionate, full on kiss and she asked me to hold her while she slept last night."

Mark rubbed his chin and leaned back, "And? You didn't like the kiss? You didn't like it that she asked you to hold her?"

"No, that's the problem. I loved it. But she just needs a friend while she's dealing with everything with Jamie. She doesn't mean it."

"Arizona," Mark said as he looked her in the eyes, "Callie has friends. She doesn't need a new friend to help her through this crisis. She hasn't kissed me or asked me to hold her while she slept. Think about it," Mark finished as he stood up to leave. "Can you stay with him for awhile?"

"Sure," Arizona replied as she sank back into the chair, thinking about Mark's words.

* * *

Arizona stayed until she got paged about one of her other patients. She quickly paged Cristina to come take over for her. Cristina had grown attached to the little boy, even though she'd never admit it, and Arizona knew she'd be happy to sit with him.

A little over an hour later Callie walked into her son's PICU room to find Cristina reading to him about the latest developments in cardiology.

Noticing Callie's entrance, Cristina broke the silence of the room, "I can't have the kid going into ortho when he is older. He will not be a carpenter if I have anything to say about it."

Callie chuckled, "Have you seen the kid watch Bob the Builder. He loves that show. He is going to be all about the carpentry when he gets older." Callie paused, "Thanks for being here Cris."

Cristina stood up and walked toward Callie, "I'm still mad at you for not telling me that he even existed. I would have come down to visit with Sloan!"

Callie did something she knew Cristina would hate. She pulled the younger woman into a hug. "From now on, you are always invited."

* * *

The next day passed by slowly for Callie Torres. She spent the day at the bedside of her son. Even though she was there as a parent she kept a careful watch on his monitors. Jamie had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Each one took the time to read and talk to him, hoping that he could hear their words of support and encouragement. With Jamie's fever still not going down, she refused to leave the hospital that night.

* * *

Arizona was on the phone in her office while waiting for Alex to come in with Jamie's latest test results.

"May I speak with Dr. Peters?" Arizona asked into the phone, "Tell her it's Dr. Arizona Robbins."

Arizona played with the phone cord as she waiting for the other person to answer. She was nervous about making this phone call but knew it was in her patient's best interest.

"Arizona?" The person on the other line asked confused.

"Hey," She spoke as the other person picked up the line, "I know it's been a long time, but I really need your help."

"It's been a really long time, Zone. But, I'm glad you called. I've really missed you," the mystery voice stated.

"I know I should have called sooner. Listen, I don't have time to play catch up right now. I've just emailed you this case file. Do you think you can come out here and help with his chemo? This patient is very important to me and my hospital."

"Wow, Zone. This kid has been through the ringer. Do you really think he can handle another round of chemo? I mean, he should have been dead 6 months ago."

"You owe me. Remember? So can you help?"

"After this, you'll owe me, Zone. I'll fly out today to meet with you and the family. I can't stay long but we'll see what we can do."

"Thanks…a lot," Arizona said as she hung up the phone with a tired expression on her face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Oh and I didn't realize this one was so dialogue heavy.. sorry for that.**

* * *

Arizona was leaning against the nurses' station in the pediatric wing when Karev walked up to her with Jamie's chart.

"Morning, boss," he said as he slid the chart toward the blonde.

"Good morning, Alex. How is our VIP looking this morning?" Arizona asked as she flipped through the chart.

"The fever has gone down. His temp has been in the normal range since early this morning. It looks like the antibiotics did the job. Everything else appears to be stable as well."

"So, what is your recommendation, Dr. Karev?"

"I think it's time to wake him up. We need to see how his body reacts to him being awake. Plus, I think Torres might snap my head off if I go in there again with no news," Karev laughed as he looked at Arizona who shook her head as she giggled.

"Okay, let's go tell the family," Arizona stated as she wheeled toward the PICU.

* * *

Karev held the door open for his boss as she continued to wheel into the room. Jamie was still laying unconscious in his hospital bed, looking pale as the machines beeping sounded in the room She startled Callie who was half asleep in the chair by the bed.

"Good morning, Calliope," Arizona spoke in an unusually perky tone.

"I hope that rather cheerful good morning means we can wake him up?" Callie questioned while staring at Arizona, taking in her beauty.

"Yep. If that is okay with you?"

Callie smiled upon hearing the news that her son would soon be awake, "So how are his labs?" she asked.

Karev spoke up, "They are improving every time we look at them."

Arizona interjected over Alex, "We want to see how his body responds when he is awake. We're going to hold off on the pain meds for an hour or so once he is awake. So be prepared for him to be in a lot of pain. Once we see how he is, we will introduce the morphine."

"Thank you, Arizona," Callie stated while she sunk back down into her chair, "And you too, Alex. Arizona has taught you well."

Arizona looked toward Karev who understood that his boss wanted to be alone with Callie.

Arizona took the seat next to Callie, "I called an oncologist to consult on Jamie's case. Not that I don't trust Dr. Brown, but I want Jamie to have the best."

Callie caught Arizona's blue eyes, "You know you didn't have to do that."

"But I do. I don't want to see Jamie back on my table again. He needs the best. He already had the best with me and now he needs the best oncologist. Plus, she owed me a favor. She'll be here this afternoon. She can only stay for a few hours but once we figure out Jamie's treatment plan, she'll come back and help execute it with Dr. Brown."

"Arizona, I don't know how to thank you for everything," Callie stated while grabbing Arizona's hands.

"The only thanks I need is to see that little boy running around, smiling and trying to teach me some more Spanish."

Callie smiled thinking back to the other day, "You did a great job faking that you didn't know that song he was trying to teach you."

"I didn't want to take the fun away from him," Arizona said as she fondly remembered the nights Callie would sing it to her to lull her to sleep after a nightmare.

Arizona smiled at Callie. Callie studied Arizona's face. Her dimples were out in full force and her eyes were twinkling. Callie's face turned blank as she opened her mouth to speak, "Ari – I've really missed you."

Arizona was surprised at the sudden confession from her former lover, "I've missed you too, Calliope."

"I'm glad that we can still be friendly after everything… you know."

Arizona's heart dropped and her body stiffened as she heard the friend word escape Callie's mouth. She didn't want to just be friends but knew that Callie currently had a full plate and if she had to settle for just being friends, then she would.

The two former lovers sat quietly in the room for awhile. The only sound in the room was the constant lull of the beeping machines until Arizona's pager went off.

"Trauma coming into the ER," Arizona said as she stood up to leave, "I'll be back as soon as Jamie starts to come around."

Callie gave her a nod, "Go save some lives."

* * *

Not long after Arizona left, Mark entered the room.

"Hey Cal, I hear my godson is going to be awake soon?" Mark said as he took the chair next to Callie.

"Yeah, Arizona says everything is looking good. They stopped sedation about an hour ago so he should be waking up in the next few hours."

"So, how are things with our favorite pediatric surgeon?"

"I thought they were going well. We'd moved on from all the awkward moments we had when I first got here. But then, this morning she got all weird again."

"What were you talking about?" Mark asked inquisitively, always wanting the best gossip.

"I don't even know. I was just thanking her for everything, for being a friend," Callie said as she laid her head on Mark's shoulder.

"Friend? You used the friend word?"

"Yeah, we're friends. Why would I not use the friend word?" Callie lifted her head to look Mark in the eyes.

Mark shifted uneasily in his chair, "Maybe because she told you she still loved you last night and now you're calling her a friend."

"How did you – Addison!" Callie grumbled under her breath.

"I might have… uh… also had a conversation with Arizona this morning," Mark said as he shifted his gaze toward the floor.

"What did you do, Mark?" Callie questioned.

Mark started to wipe the sweat off of his brow, "Well Cal – I might have… you know, mentioned that you might still like her as more than a friend." He spoke the words so quickly Callie could barely make them out.

"Marcus!" Callie screamed, "How could you do that? I can't deal with this and Jamie."

"Callie – you need to start having a life again. Jamie's going to get better and he's not going to want you spending 24/7 with him anymore. And I'm pretty sure from the way Arizona reacted this morning, she's interested too." Mark said as he put his arm around Callie.

"What am I going to do with you, Sloan? What if Jamie doesn't get better? He still needs me all the time right now," Callie asked to no one in particular.

"Callie – you have an entire hospital to help with Jamie. And he is going to get better. He survived the surgery. He can do anything now. Addison and I are going to make sure you get some quality time to yourself once he is out of danger. You need to take care of yourself," Mark said lovingly toward his best friend.

"Between you and Addison, I don't stand a chance do I?" Callie questioned Mark.

"Nope. And Cristina too, we've already pulled her into our plans," Mark smirked, "Just see what happens. It can't get any worse can it?"

Callie let out a nervous laugh as she sank into Mark's arms, "If you're going to play matchmaker with me, Sloan, then I get to with you too. I see how you look at my best friend. What are you going to do about that?"

It was Mark's turn to let out a nervous giggle, "If this little guy ever wakes up and lets us have a night alone, then I might make some magic of my own."

"Good. She still has a thing for you. Just don't break her heart again," Callie said softly as she yawned.

"Take a nap, Cal. I'll wake you if he starts to wake up."

* * *

Callie had fallen asleep with her head on Mark's shoulder. Mark was uncomfortable. His neck hurt and his legs were cramping, but he didn't dare wake up the sleeping beauty on him. Two hours of uncomfortableness later, the machines in the room started beeping faster. Mark slid himself away from Callie to check the monitors. Jamie's heart rate was increasing. "He's waking up," Mark smiled to himself as he paged Arizona and turned toward Callie's sleeping form, "Hey Cal," he whispered in her ear, "you might want to wake up for this."

"Hmm? What? Sloan?" Callie mumbled in her sleep.

"Callie, Jamie's going to wake up soon," Mark continued to whisper to her.

Callie's head instantly shot up, "He's waking up?"

"Yeah, his heart rate just started increasing."

"You paged Arizona?

"Just did. And Addie too."

At that moment, the door flung open and a frazzled Arizona wheeled into the room.

"He's waking up?" Arizona said as she gasped for air.

"Slow down speedy," Mark said as he took in her disheveled form.

"Sorry, I was in emergency surgery. I had Alex take over for me and raced up here.

I didn't want to miss this," she answered as she looked at the latest readings from the

monitors in the room. "Yep, looks like he is coming around," Arizona concluded,

"Callie, you should start talking to him. That will help to bring him around. But

remember, he's going to be in a lot of pain so you have to keep him calm so he doesn't

hurt himself."

Callie moved toward Jamie's bedside and took his free hand. His other hand had been wrapped around his stuffed puppy since he got out of surgery. Callie could see his chest moving up and down faster than it had the past two days. "Hey baby," she spoke softly to him, "it's time to wake up, sweetie. I want to see your beautiful brown eyes looking back at me. You've got several episodes of Bob the Builder and Dora to catch up on. Plus Uncle Mark said he'd get you a puppy so you need to wake up so you can start bugging him to get that for you." Once Callie spoke the word puppy, Jamie's eyes began to flutter, "Out of all of that you wake up for puppy?" Callie questioned her son jokingly.

When Jamie's eyes opened the first thing he saw was his mom staring at him. His throat was dry and scratchy and his whole body hurt. He'd never been in this much pain in his life. Even after all of the other surgeries and chemo sessions.

He heard his mother talking to him, "Hey baby," she said while crying, "I've missed you."

Jamie still couldn't make his voice work so he just squeezed his mother's hand meekly. He then heard another voice speak up, "Hey Jamie! Good morning sunshine," Arizona said with extra perk in her voice, "I need you to tell me where you're hurting."

Jamie coughed as he tried to talk. Mark handed the little boy a cup of water with a straw. Jamie took several sips before trying to speak again, "Mama, don't cry," he said staring into his mother's eyes.

Hearing Jamie's voice caused Callie to cry even harder, "They're happy tears, Jam. I just missed you so much. Dr. Ari needs to know where you hurt, can you point to where you hurt?"

Jamie nodded as he pointed toward his belly, "It hurts all over."

Arizona sat on Jamie's bed as she began to listen to his heart. She lifted up his gown to check out his incision sites from the surgery. "I'm sorry Jamie, it's going to hurt for a little while longer. But you are so brave to not cry when you're hurting," Arizona said as she finished her exam.

"Did you get all the bad stuff, Ari?" Jamie asked as he looked up at her with his puppy dog brown eyes.

Arizona took the hand that Callie wasn't holding, "I did, Jamie."

Jamie smiled as he turned toward Mark, "Uncle Mark! This means you owe me a puppy!"

Mark chuckled, "I do, little dude. Once you are sprung from the hospital we'll go pick one out. But that might be awhile so you hold onto puppy here until then. Okay?"

"Okay, but I won't forget."

Mark continued to laugh as he caught Callie's glare. He knew she wasn't fond of getting a real dog. Not that she didn't want one, she just didn't think she had time to take care of a dog and Jamie and work.

* * *

An hour later, Arizona returned to the littlest Torres' room where she was met outside by Callie.

"Arizona, he is in a lot of pain, can we do something about that now?" Callie pleaded with the blonde to help her make her son feel better.

"I was on my way to do just that, Calliope. You know the morphine is going to make him sleepy so go tell him goodnight and I'll push the drugs." Arizona said with a smile.

Arizona walked into the room a few minutes later to see Callie reading Goodnight Moon to Jamie. Arizona slowly made her way to the boy's IV and slowly injected the morphine the boy needed to feel better. She tried to slip out of the room unnoticed but Jamie saw her as she turned to leave.

"Ari – do you want to read with us?" Jamie asked.

"It looks like I missed the good parts already." Arizona replied while stroking his bald head.

"That's okay, you can finish it with us." Jamie said as Arizona sat on his bed next to him. Jamie was asleep before the last page was read.

Arizona looked over to Callie, "Dr. Peters will be here in 15 minutes to meet with us about the chemo."

Callie nodded, "Cristina is going to come sit with him while we're in the meeting."

"See you then," Arizona said as she left the room.

Callie watched Arizona leave the room. She stopped breathing for a second while she watched the blonde hair flowing as the door opened and closed. She resumed breathing only to smell the familiar scent of flowery perfume. And Callie smiled as she waited for Cristina to show up.

* * *

The usual suspects surrounded the conference room table. Derek, Mark, Addison, Callie, Alex and the newcomer, Dr. Lisa Brown, the best oncologist at Seattle Grace-Mercy West all sat around the table making polite small talk. They were all waiting for Dr. Robbins and her mystery, world class oncologist friend to arrive. They didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, the door opened and Arizona led in a woman whom everyone assumed to be Dr. Peters. She was above average in height, had red hair and lots of freckles. She was dressed professionally but the wrinkles in her outfit were proof of the very long plane ride she just got off.

Arizona stood at the head of the table as everyone stopped their conversations and looked toward her. She cleared her throat before starting, "Everyone this is Dr. Joanne Peters, a world renowned oncologist from Johns Hopkins."

Callie looked up as she heard the redhead's first name. "Joanne," she thought. She knew that name.

Arizona looked toward Joanne, "Dr. Peters," she then introduced the people surrounding the table, "Here we have Dr. Derek Shepherd, Chief of Surgery, Dr. Mark Sloan, Dr. Addison Montgomery, Dr. Callie Torres, Dr. Alex Karev and Dr. Lisa Brown."

"This is a lot of doctors for one case." Joanne said, trying to ease the tension of the room.

"Well this patient is a family member here at the hospital. Dr. Torres is his mother and Drs. Sloan and Montgomery are his godparents. We are all very attached to the boy and are very vested in his recovery."

"Of course," Joanne replied, "Let's get started."

Joanne pulled out her laptop and connected it to the projector. She spent the next half hour reviewing her plan to keep James cancer free. It was going to be a long tough road. She wanted 6 months of intense chemotherapy treatments. He had to be monitored very closely for potential re-growth. She would come back once or twice a month to check in on him personally and would also consult via Skype after every treatment.

As the meeting wrapped up and everyone left the room, Joanne grabbed Arizona to indicate that she wanted the blonde to stay behind.

"So you call me after almost 10 years and ask me to help with a case and I don't get any explanation why?" The redhead asked while tilting her head and reaching out to caress Arizona's arm, "You don't look good Zona, you need to get more sleep and eat more."

"You don't get to tell me what I should be doing anymore, Jo. You lost that right when you cheated on me 10 years ago," Arizona retorted quickly as she pulled back away from Joanne's touch.

"I thought after 10 years we'd be past that."

"I am past that," Arizona said quietly, "I'm sorry. It's just been a very long week."

"How about I take you out for a drink before I leave?"

"I can't. I need to stay to monitor Jamie."

"Well, how about dinner in the cafeteria?" Joanne asked as she stared at Arizona's body, "I mean, I did fly all the way out here just for you."

Arizona put her hands in her lab coat pockets before looking up, "Sure, dinner. Why don't you go wait in my office while I go check on Jamie really quickly?"

Callie stood outside the conference room watching Arizona and Joanne talk. Her blood pressure rose when she saw Joanne touch Arizona. She did not like the thought of anyone but her touching Arizona, let alone the ex that tore her heart to pieces. Callie was relieved to see Arizona pull away from the touch but was still worried what Joanne's presence would do to Arizona. She quietly headed back to Jamie's room.

Arizona watched as her first love left to walk toward her office before quickly turning toward the elevator to head toward the PICU.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

A/N: A lot of little scenes in this one. Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Arizona entered the PICU and saw that Jamie was still knocked out by the morphine. Callie had returned to her normal spot by his bed.

Arizona spoke as she walked in the room, "So, I'm thinking we can probably move him to a regular room tomorrow… a private room. He'll have so much more space there for all of his visitors," Arizona rambled, knowing that Callie knew exactly who the mystery oncologist was, "He has become the most popular patient in the hospital. And the chair turns into a bed in there so that will be more comfortable for you. Oh! And there is of course a TV, which he doesn't have here. He'll be upset if he can't watch his cartoons."

"Arizona! Slow down," Callie cut Arizona's rambling off, "So your mystery oncologist is your ex-girlfriend, the one that you dated before me?"

Arizona slumped down into the chair next to Callie, "Yep. That's Joanne."

"She's pretty." Callie stated while looking at Arizona out of the corner of her eyes.

"Oh? I didn't notice," Arizona said while Callie smiled.

"She is, if you have a thing for redheads," Callie said while still smiling, she could tell Arizona wanted to avoid the subject but Callie enjoyed teasing her former lover about her other ex.

"You know, I'm more into brunettes." Arizona said as she winked at Callie. Callie froze. Was Arizona actually flirting with her? Arizona continued as she started to stand, "I have to go meet her for dinner before she catches her flight tonight. I'll come back to check on Jamie again after. Maybe bring some pudding?"

"He'd like that," Callie answered while looking up toward Arizona.

Arizona giggled as she left the room, turning to flash Callie her best smile and dimples, "I was talking about you… you know Jamie's still going to be sleeping and his tummy can't handle food yet. Not even pudding, which is a very sad thing."

* * *

Arizona knew yet again when she entered the cafeteria that everyone was talking about her and the mysterious redhead who was giving Addison a run for her money in the hot redhead department.

As they placed their trays on the table, Joanne noticed everyone watching, "Does everyone always stare at you like this Zona?"

"These days, yes." Arizona replied while staring at her tray. Yet again she didn't get the lasagna and instead picked something that looked like chicken, "One day I will learn to get the lasagna."

"So, Dr. Robbins, why is everyone staring at you these days?"

"It actually has to do with this case that I brought you in on. I have a bit of a history with Dr. Torres."

"Oh really now?" Joanne asked as she took another bite of her salad.

"We were together about five years ago, but we wanted different things out of life. She wanted kids and I didn't. So she picked up and moved to LA and I didn't hear from her until last week."

Joanne interrupted, "When she showed up with her sick kid?"

"That would be correct."

"So that's why you called me in. You want to save your ex's kid?"

Arizona frowned at her dinner, it really didn't taste very good. "She's more to me than just an ex. I thought she was the one. I can't see her in pain so I need the best to fix Jamie."

"I don't know many people that would go this far for the person they _thought_ was the one," With those words Arizona blushed and Joanne continued, "Wait a minute. You still love her. That's why I'm here."

"It's complicated, Jo," Arizona said calmly, "Her priority is her son. I don't know where we stand."

Joanne studied Arizona's features, "I've missed you Zona. You know, I always thought that you were the one for me."

"Joanne, that boat sailed a long time ago," Arizona scoffed.

"Well, I'll prove to you otherwise. I like a challenge." Joanne said as she stood up, "My flight leaves soon. I'll see you in a couple of weeks." Joanne leaned in and kissed Arizona's cheek before she left.

"This is going to be trouble," Arizona muttered under her breath as she took a bite of her apple.

* * *

Arizona did her best to push what happened at dinner with Joanne out of her mind. She was smiling as she walked into Jamie's room in the PICU with two cups of pudding in her hands. What she found surprised her. Callie was as asleep as her son. Her head was back against the chair and her mouth was slightly open. Arizona was impressed that Callie allowed herself to sleep at the hospital. Surrounded by all the beeping machines, normally Callie was too afraid to miss a moment in case something happened. Arizona tiptoed toward Callie, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty.

"You're so beautiful," Arizona whispered as she moved stray hairs out of Callie's face. "Sleep tight, Calliope," Arizona said as she kissed Callie's forehead.

Arizona sat down next to Callie and grabbed the pile of paperwork she needed to do. She could have just as easily done this in her office but she felt a strong desire to be close to Callie tonight. She spent so much of the five years before just wanting one more day with Callie. One more minute to just be in her presence and now that she was here she didn't want to leave her side.

Two hours later, Callie began to stir. Arizona didn't notice as she was too involved with her paperwork.

"Hey," Callie murmured while stretching her arms. Arizona was startled by the voice in the room.

"Hey yourself, sleepy head," Arizona smiled at Callie.

"How long was I out for?"

"I've been here for about 2 hours and you were asleep when I found you," she said as she glanced up from her work.

"So much for our pudding date," Callie smirked as she wiped sleep out of her eyes.

Arizona smiled when she heard Callie use the word date. "Did you think I would eat the pudding without you?" Arizona said as she put her paperwork away.

Arizona passed Callie a pudding cup and the two sat, talked and laughed while they ate their pudding like old friends.

* * *

Outside the PICU Mark and Addison found themselves in a familiar position, watching their best friend share a laugh with her former love.

"It's good to see her smile again," Addison said as she nudged Mark in the side.

"Yeah it is," Mark replied while staring at Addison and not the scene through the window, "By the looks of what is going on in there I think Callie has James tonight. How about we go out and get some dinner. A real dinner, not this cafeteria stuff. Then maybe a drink?"

"That sounds an awful lot like a date, Mark Sloan," Addison said with a sly smile.

"What if it was?" Mark asked while fidgeting with his hands showing his nervousness.

"I'd say…I'd love to."

"Mark held out his arm for Addison as they walked out of the hospital. "Let's go."

* * *

Arizona was wheeling around the Peds' floor with a huge smile on her face when she literally ran into Bailey.

"Robbins!" Miranda yelled, "How many times have I told you to watch where you are going… or should I saw wheeling?"

"Sorry, Bailey," Arizona tried to apologize and look sorry but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"Do I have to ask what has you exceptionally perky today, Dr. Robbins?"

"I just had a great night, that's all," Arizona replied while wheeling circles around Bailey.

"Great night? Huh? Does this have something to do with pudding and Dr. Torres?"

Arizona stopped wheeling and stared at Bailey in shock before Bailey continued, "What? You know I know everything that goes on in this hospital." Bailey paused and looked up from her chart, "I'm happy to see you this happy again, Arizona, but be careful. I remember what you were like after she left the first time. I don't want to see you like that again."

Arizona nodded in response, "I will certainly take that under advisement, Dr. Bailey. For the record, I have no idea what is going on between myself and Callie but whatever it is… I like it," Arizona smiled over her shoulder at Bailey before she wheeled off toward the PICU.

* * *

Before she entered the room, Arizona could see Jamie, Callie and Mark laughing in the room. The sight made Arizona smile and it made her insides feel tingly. Arizona didn't understand what she was feeling but knew that it felt good.

"Good morning Mr. Jamie, how are we feeling today?" Arizona said as she glided toward him.

"It still hurts, Ari," Jamie whined as Arizona leaned down to check his incision sites.

"I'm sorry little guy, it's going to hurt for a little while but I'll see what I can do to make it better," Arizona said as she scribbled in his chart to adjust his pain medication.

Callie looked on lovingly as she watched Arizona be so tender and careful with her son. Arizona's eyes caught Callie's stares as she finished her exam on Jamie.

"So how does everything look, Dr. Robbins?" Mark asked.

"It's looking good. We're right on track," she answered.

"What about the chemo?" Callie asked, looking at Arizona.

"I'll send his most recent labs to Dr. Peters and I think she's going to want to start chemo soon – possibly tomorrow," Arizona replied.

"Hey, Dr. Ari!" Jamie interrupted the adult conversation, "Do I still get all the pudding I want?"

Arizona moved back to Jamie's bedside, put a hand on her chin and pretended to think, "I think, that is up to your mom," she stated as she saw Jamie quickly turn his attention to his mother who just rolled her eyes.

"Oh man, Mama isn't as cool as you Ari, she'll only let me have pudding after I eat my vegetables," Jamie groaned.

"Well, vegetables are very important, Jamie. They make you strong… like Popeye. Don't you want to be strong? Do you even know how Popeye is? Kids these days…" Arizona continued to ramble lovingly as Jamie nodded. Arizona continued, wanting to give her special patient some good news, "But, I can do something that I think you're going to love, Jamie. Today you're going to move to a brand new room. A room with a TV and a DVD player. I might also happen to have the full Disney DVD collection in my office that I might let you borrow if you are good."

"Cool! Do you have Cars? That's my favorite!" Jamie begged his doctor.

"I think I just might. Now, why don't we get you moved and I'll come bring by Cars to watch with you later," she said.

Arizona directed her attention back to the adults in the room, "I'm going to go e-mail Dr. Peters the latest labs and scans, I'll let you know what she says as soon as I know."

"Thanks, Ari." Callie said as Mark nodded his acceptance as well.

* * *

She didn't know why, but Callie felt nervous as she approached Arizona's office door. She wanted to talk to the doctor about the upcoming chemotherapy sessions for her son, but after their date over pudding everything felt different to Callie. She felt more alive and felt things she hadn't let herself feel in years. It wasn't even like her and Arizona did anything the night before. They just talked but it felt so comfortable. Arizona told Callie about her latest research and what it was like to live with Alex Karev and Callie told stories about her coworkers in LA. But still, sharing memories and laughs together again in such a comfortable manner made Callie start to question her self-imposed celibacy.

After a minute of staring at the door that was emblazoned with the words, "Arizona Robbins, MD, Head of Pediatric Surgery," Callie finally knocked lightly at the door. She heard a faint, "Come in," and she quickly entered the room.

"Calliope!" Arizona exclaimed as she looked up from her computer, "Did something happen with Jamie?"

"No no," Callie tried her best to calm down the petite surgeon, "sorry, I didn't mean to get you worked up. I just wanted to come say hi. Jamie is sleeping and, well, it gets a little boring in there now that I'm not afraid he's going to die any second."

"Well, I am glad you came to visit. I was just going to come talk to you about Dr. Peter's chemo plan with you," Arizona said as she stood up to walk to the other side of her desk, to be closer to Callie.

"You mean Joanne's chemo plan?" Callie questioned wanting to see Arizona's reaction to Joanne's name.

"Callie – if you're not comfortable with Joanne, I can tell her that her help isn't needed anymore."

"No, she is the best and I want Jamie to have the best. Plus, I mean. I have no right to be jealous of my ex-girlfriend's ex-girlfriend," Callie blurted out shocking both herself and Arizona.

Arizona let out a nervous chuckle and grabbed Callie's hand, "Joanne means nothing to me Callie. I never wanted to see her again after I caught her cheating on me, but I knew Jamie needed her. That's the only reason why she is here."

Callie sighed and relaxed into Arizona's touch, "Right. So what is the plan for the chemo?"

"Well… you already know the basics. We're going to start with six rounds and see how he responds to that. Each round will require five days in the hospital then he'll be released and can go home for ten days, another five days in the hospital and repeat. We're going to start tomorrow and by the time his first round is over he should be ready to be released."

Callie looked at Arizona, "Home? Huh. I hadn't even thought about that yet. I guess I need to find a place to stay here in Seattle. I don't want to stay at the Archfield. Jamie needs a place that he can feel comfortable at – a real home."

While Callie was rambling about finding a place to stay, Arizona began to massage Callie's hand with hers. Arizona knew what she wanted; she wanted to tell Callie to come stay with her. She had plenty of rooms in her house. 'How can I bring this up without looking desperate?' Arizona thought to herself.

Callie became overwhelmed at the thought of having to find a place to live and Arizona could feel Callie's hand tense in hers. Callie continued, "Mark's place is just too small for all of us even though I know he will offer. When am I going to find the time to find a place to live?" Callie asked as she looked at Arizona with defeat in her eyes.

Arizona took a deep breath, "I think I might know of a place for you, Callie. It's not too far from the hospital. It's a beautiful house and it's even fully furnished."

Callie interrupted, "Really? Where is it? You know it? Is it for sale or rent? That would be so great, Ari. I really don't have the time to go house hunting."

Arizona shushed Callie. Arizona wasn't sure how to form her next sentence so it just came out in a jumbled mess, "It'smyhousecomestaywithme."

Callie was confused, she couldn't understand what the blonde had said. She was able to make out the words 'my', 'house', 'stay.' She had an idea what Arizona was saying but wanted to make the blonde say it herself.

"What I said was – it's my house. I have plenty of extra rooms. You saw that yourself. Come stay with me. It'd be perfect," Arizona saw Callie's mind begin to turn in circles so she added, "Plus, Jamie would have the world's best pediatric surgeon around to keep an eye on him all the time."

Callie was shocked at Arizona's suggestion. She totally didn't expect her ex-girlfriend to invite her and her son to move in. They didn't even officially live together when they were dating yet here was Arizona asking her and her very sick son to move in. The whole reason they broke up was because Arizona didn't want kids and now Arizona wanted a kid to move in with her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter - will make it up with longer ones this weekend. Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

_Arizona took a deep breath, "I think I might know of a place for you, Callie. It's not too far from the hospital. It's a beautiful house and it's even fully furnished."_

_Callie interrupted, "Really? Where is it? You know it? Is it for sale or rent? That would be so great, Ari. I really don't have the time to go house hunting."_

_Arizona shushed Callie. Arizona wasn't sure how to form her next sentence so it just came out in a jumbled mess, "It'smyhousecomestaywithme."_

_Callie was confused, she couldn't understand what the blonde had said. She was able to make out the words 'my', 'house', 'stay.' She had an idea what Arizona was saying but wanted to make the blonde say it herself._

_"What I said was – it's my house. I have plenty of extra rooms. You saw that yourself. Come stay with me. It'd be perfect," Arizona saw Callie's mind begin to turn in circles so she added, "Plus, Jamie would have the world's best pediatric surgeon around to keep an eye on him all the time."_

_Callie was shocked at Arizona's suggestion. She totally didn't expect her ex-girlfriend to invite her and her son to move in. They didn't even officially live together when they were dating yet here was Arizona asking her and her very sick son to move in. The whole reason they broke up was because Arizona didn't want kids and now Arizona wanted a kid to move in with her._

_

* * *

_

"Arizona… are you sure that'd be a good idea? It's just too much. You've already done so much for us," Callie said.

"It's nothing. Truth is, coming home to a quiet house is really depressing."

Callie interjected, "Your house is beautiful, Ari. I don't want Jamie to ruin it. You have no idea how destructive he can be…even when he is sick."

"I lived with Alex Karev, Calliope. I think I can handle Jamie."

Callie looked at Arizona and sighed, "If I say yes, you have to let me pay you."

Arizona quickly stopped Callie from talking by putting a finger to her lip, "Nope. No way. You're not going to pay me rent." Arizona paused while thinking and got a great idea, "But you can pay me in food. Yes, that's it. I will take home cooked meals as a form of payment."

Callie smiled and laughed, "I can do that."

"There's one more rule, Calliope," Arizona continued, "You can't act like a guest. You and Jamie will treat my house like your home. In fact, I think we should go shopping and redo one of the guestrooms for Jamie. Buy him some kid…boy… stuff. Take out the stuffy old person furniture."

"Arizona, that's too much," Callie said.

"Cal – you and I both know that he will feel a lot more comfortable and thus recover better if he has things that he likes around him."

Callie paused while staring at Arizona. Arizona prodded her for an answer, "So is that a yes?"

"Okay. Fine."

"It's a deal?" Arizona asked hopefully as she held out her hand awaiting a shake.

"It's a deal." Callie said as she shook Arizona's hand. What Callie really wanted to do was seal the deal with a kiss but they hadn't done more than hold hands since Callie practically mauled Arizona after Jamie's surgery.

The two let their hands linger together before Callie broke them apart.

"So, since Jamie starts chemo tomorrow and I'm not going to want to be away from him for that, I was thinking maybe we could go do that shopping tonight? I'm sure Mark and Addie would love to hang out with him tonight." Callie said while nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"I think that can be arranged," Arizona said while looking the Latina up and down, "And maybe some dinner can be involved as well?"

Callie cleared her throat, "Yeah, that'd be great."

Arizona stood up taller. "Then, it's a date then, see you at 4?" Arizona asked.

"4 it is," Callie answered as she headed out of the office.

* * *

Callie left Arizona's office and headed toward her son's room. Addison was sitting next to the sleeping boy reading the latest trashy gossip magazine. Addison looked up from her magazine to see a slightly freaked out Callie standing in front of her, throwing her hands up in the air.

"What's up?" Addison asked as she took in her friend's disheveled appearance, "You look weird."

"I…uh…I think Arizona and I have a date tonight." Callie stumbled over her words. "And she might have asked me to move in with her… and I might have agreed."

Addison put down her magazine and arched her eyebrows, "A date? And you're moving in with her? What they say about lesbians is true – you really do move in together quickly, don't you?"

Callie shot her best friend a warning glare, "Shut up, Ad. I'm really freaking out here."

"Okay, slow down and just tell me what happened."

Callie continued to pace. "We were going over Jamie's chemo plan when she mentioned that Jamie will be able to go home soon. And I hadn't even thought about that. I hadn't even considered going home. Well, obviously, we're going to be here for awhile due to chemo so we're not going back to LA anytime soon. So, I started freaking out about finding a place to live. I guess she noticed I was freaking out and offered to let me move in with her."

"Wow. And you said yes."

"What else am I going to do? You know Mark's place is too small. Especially when I am pretty sure you are going to be moving in with him yourself," Callie paused to look at Addison, "And I don't have time to go look at houses. So it really did seem like a good idea at the time. But now, why do I like torturing myself, Addie?"

"How are you torturing yourself?"

"Um. By living with my ex-girlfriend who I want to kiss every time I am in the same room as her?"

"I see your point," Addison said as she stood up to grab Callie and stop her pacing, "Where does the date come in?"

"After I agreed to live with her, she said we should turn one of the rooms into Jamie's room and go out and buy furniture and things to make him feel more comfortable. So we're doing that and then she asked about dinner…"

"She asked about dinner?" Addison questioned while smirking at her friend.

"Yes, she asked if dinner could be involved in the shopping trip."

"Callie. Look. The girl asked you to move in with her and asked you to eat with her. I'm pretty sure she wants to kiss you every time she sees you too."

Callie flopped herself down on the couch in the room, "This is why I haven't dated in forever. It's too complicated."

Addison moved next to her friend and patted her arm, "It'll be okay, Cal. You two will find your way back together. Just enjoy the ride."

* * *

At the same time that Callie was freaking out to Addison, Mark found Arizona in the cafeteria with a plate of doughnuts.

"Whoa – Blondie. I know you're skinny but I think that might be a few too many doughnuts if you want to keep your figure," Mark said as he sat down at Arizona's table.

"I eat doughnuts when I'm upset or nervous. Bad habit that started when I was a kid. We always had doughnuts after we had to say goodbye to my dad when he left on a deployment," Arizona explained herself to her friend in-between nibbling on a rainbow sprinkle doughnut.

"And what has you so upset today?" Mark questioned while swiping a doughnut off the tray for himself.

"I just did something crazy and I'm pretty sure stupid." Arizona cried as she buried her head in her hands.

"It can't be that bad," he said, trying to elicit more information from his friend.

"Oh it can, Mark," Arizona took a deep breath before continuing, "I sorta asked Callie to move in with me while Jamie undergoes chemo and then we made plans to go shopping and have dinner tonight."

Mark was so shocked he almost dropped his doughnut. He stared at her, mouth gaping.

"Stupid, I told you," Arizona said.

Once Mark took a moment to pick his jaw up off the floor he offered advice to his friend, "You're not stupid. Maybe a little fast but isn't that what you lesbians do?"

Arizona giggled, "Move in on the second date? Like I haven't heard that one before, Mark."

"But seriously, Blondie. I'm sure Callie appreciates not having to find a place and knowing that you're around in case something happens to Jamie is a good selling point as well."

"I just…I mean…Do you think?"

"Sentences, Arizona. Speak sentences."

"How am I going to live with this woman when I just want to kiss every time I see her?"

"Then just kiss her already! And soon so I can win the pool." Mark said as he finished his doughnut and went to grab another.

"I just don't think this is a good time. It's a difficult time for her. I don't want to seem like I'm taking advantage of her," Arizona mumbled before taking in what Mark had said, "Wait – pool?

Mark grabbed Arizona's hands and chuckled, "You know this hospital. People talk. And there might be a lot of money riding on when you and Torres will finally get back together… But seriously, listen kid, Callie would never let anyone take advantage of her if it wasn't what she wanted. Just go with the flow. See where it leads. I think you might be surprised."

"Thanks, Mark," Arizona said as she squeezed Mark's hands, "you're a good friend."

"Don't go spreading that around, I do have a reputation, you know. Now come on, let's get you ready for your hot date," Mark said as he led her out of the cafeteria.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Callie finished getting ready in Jamie's room. She quickly changed into the only spare clothes she had at the hospital – skinny jeans and a purple sweater. Jamie and Mark were on the bed engrossed in the latest episode of Transformers and barely noticed the nervous Latina who was pacing around the room. Mark finally noticed her when she decided to pace right in front of the television in the middle of a major fight scene.

"Cal – she's more nervous than you are. Trust me. I watched her eat four glazed doughnuts this afternoon. She's frea-ked. Now stop pacing and go get her and get out of our way!" Mark scolded his best friend in an attempt to get her to move away from the television.

"Okay, I'm going. Bye Jamie. Keep Uncle Mark out of trouble tonight. I love you," Callie said as she kissed Jamie's forehead.

"I love you too, Mama. Have fun with Ari." Jamie said while smiling. Even the four year old knew something was going on with his mother and his doctor.

Callie turned toward Mark and whispered, "Call me if anything changes."

"I will, now get out of here… and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

* * *

Arizona was just as nervous while she waited in her office. She had already scolded herself for not keeping more clothes at the hospital. She only had one option, besides scrubs, to wear for her time with Callie tonight. She quickly changed into her skinny jeans and black top before making herself look busy on her computer when really she was playing a game of solitaire and was too nervous to even focus on that.

A voice took her out of her thoughts in her head, "Hey, you ready?" the voice sounded.

Arizona's head shot up from the computer, "Hey. Yep. I'm ready," she said as she pretended to be finishing up work on the computer before standing up.

Callie caught a glance of the computer screen, "That solitaire is a tough game, eh?"

Arizona looked like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "It's a lot tougher than it looks," she said as she leaned to grab her jacket.

Arizona and Callie both looked equally nervous as they stood in the office. They stood, a few feet apart, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity but really was only thirty seconds.

Callie decided to get a hold of her emotions and take control of the situation, "Why is this so weird? We shouldn't been this nervous around each other."

Arizona was surprised at Callie's admission of the elephant in the room, "Right. I mean. We're just two friends going shopping and eating."

Callie nodded, "Yep. No need for awkwardness. We're grown adults not teenagers." Callie led the two out of the office and toward the hospital exit, "Is it awkward if I tell you that you look nice? Friends can compliment each other, right?"

Arizona fumbled with her hands, trying hard not to take Callie's as they walked out the exit, "Not awkward at all. Thank you. You look nice too."

Callie rolled her eyes, "Please. I look like I haven't slept in weeks and am wearing dirty clothes. Which is the truth."

Arizona stopped their walk and looked into Callie's eyes, "You look great."

* * *

They arrived at Arizona's car and they headed toward the furniture store. The nerves of the two women seemed to start to disappear during the car ride.

"I really like your car, how long have you had it?" Callie asked, trying to make small talk.

"Last year. The old Mini Cooper got totaled in an accident on my way into work one morning," Arizona answered.

Callie immediately got worried about the blonde's safety, "What? Mark never told me this! Were you okay? I mean, obviously you are now, but were you hurt?"

"Nothing major. Just a lot of bruises, lacerations and a small hairline fracture. Mark patched me up. Probably didn't do as good of a job as a certain orthopedist I know though," Arizona said as she glanced at Callie.

Callie smiled, "Well, no one is as good as me. But it looks like Mark did a good job."

Arizona saw an opportunity to get information from Callie, "So, Mark told you things?"

Callie looked around the car nervously, "Um. No. I mean, he would just tell me what was going on around the hospital, you know and with everyone in the old gang."

Arizona smiled, knowing that Mark told her much more than that. Arizona was gaining confidence as they kept driving. After calling Callie out about Mark, the tension in the car seemed to relax. The banter back and forth became comfortable. It was almost as if it was five years prior, before the baby talk came up and caused their breakup.

* * *

The two entered the large furniture store ready to shop.

"I can't believe I've never been here before. They even have a food court?" Arizona asked Callie as they stood in awe of the large warehouse building filled with beds, dressers, desks, bookshelves and everything else imaginable.

Callie looked at Arizona, "I really hope that isn't what you had in mind for dinner, Arizona."

The tender look and smile that Callie gave Arizona gave Arizona the courage to make her next move. Arizona grabbed Callie's hand as she pulled them toward the kid's section of the store, "So, what all do we need to get?"

Callie glanced at their intertwined hands and then at Arizona before answering, "Um. Bed. Dresser. Desk. That's all we'll need here. The fun stuff is at the toy store. I could have everything shipped up from LA but I think he deserves some new toys."

Arizona looked lovingly at Callie as she stroked the back of their intertwined hands, "I think so too."

Arizona got excited when she saw the racecar bed. She had watched Cars with Jamie earlier and knew he had a love of all things cars. "This one," Arizona said with confidence, "I mean, if that's okay with you."

Callie laughed as she looked at the excitement in Arizona's eyes, "He'd love that one. He can be Lighting McQueen every night."

* * *

Arizona and Callie moved from one store to the next. They rarely let their hands part, not even in the car. Arizona was like a child herself as they entered the toy store. Callie could sense that Arizona was going to be trouble in the toy store, "Ari – remember, we are not shopping for you or the kids at the hospital today."

"But!" The blonde protested.

Callie gave the blonde a stern look.

"Okay, I'll be good," Arizona gave in as she followed Callie into the store.

By the time they were done shopping Arizona had a cart full of toys and games. Callie would shake her head yes and no to what Arizona would put in the cart. She had legos, action figures, board games and she even convinced Callie to buy a bicycle as well.

"You really are just a big kid aren't you, Ari?" Callie asked teasingly as she held up some race cars.

"Oh come on, Calliope. There is a reason why we also have a brand new Nintendo Wii and pretty much every game they offer in the cart and it isn't me. I'm pretty sure you're just a big kid too."

Callie just shrugged as they made their purchases and headed back to the car.

"So dinner, now?" Arizona asked as they entered the car.

* * *

"I can't believe this place is still open," Callie exclaimed as they walked toward the restaurant which looked like a rundown shack.

"I'm happy it is. I haven't eaten here in years," Arizona said not wanting to tell her companion that she hadn't eaten at the restaurant since they broke up.

"I'm glad the appearance scares people off – just means we don't have to wait to get the best Italian food in Seattle."

Once they entered the restaurant they were quickly seated. As they waited for their meals a comfortable silence fell over the table.

Callie began to get nervous as they sat at the table. She broke the silence, "I just want to say thank you, again. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Arizona grabbed Callie's hand across the table, "Just doing my job."

"I know, Arizona. But it's different being on this side of things," Callie said not wanting to get emotional, "… just thanks," she finished as she squeezed Arizona's hand.

Arizona smiled, "Remember the first time we ate here?"

Callie leaned back in her chair, "How could I forget? You brought me here after you met my dad the first time… the time that he threw Mark and George against the wall and basically disowned me. I thought you were crazy. I thought for sure we'd get food poisoning from this place but you swore it had the best Italian food you'd ever eaten. And you were right… as usual."

"I just knew you had a bad day and thought some good food might help cheer you up a bit."

Callie sipped on her wine, "Just being with you cheered me up. It didn't matter where we were."

Arizona blushed and mimicked her companion as she grabbed her wine glass, taking a sip not knowing what to say.

The two continued to reminisce about old times throughout the rest of dinner.

* * *

After a nice dinner Arizona drove them back to the hospital. They walked up to Jamie's room and stood outside his door.

After a moment of standing outside his door in silence, Arizona joked, "And we're back to the awkwardness."

"Thanks for tonight. It was nice to get out of here. Jamie's really going to love his room and all the toys," Callie responded as she leaned against the wall.

Arizona nodded her head, "It was fun for me too. I've been living in the hospital lately so it was nice to get away for a night as well."

Callie fiddled with her fingers and looked up into Arizona's eyes, "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, I want to be there for the chemo. A friendly face, since Jamie doesn't know the other doctors."

"He'd like that."

The two stood looking at each other for a moment before Callie broke the silence as she reached for the handle to the door, "Better go make sure Jamie was good for Mark and Addison."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Arizona started to turn away before catching herself and turning around. Without saying a word Arizona grabbed Callie by the hand and pushed her up against the wall, trapping her in a passionate kiss. Callie was taken off guard but quickly relaxed into the kiss, opening her mouth and pulling Arizona deeper into it. After several intense kisses, Arizona pulled back and bit her bottom lip, "Good night, Calliope."

Arizona turned around and walked back to the exit leaving Callie stunned against the wall.

* * *

Callie walked into Jamie's room with a smile on her face. She sat down on the couch next to Mark and put her head in his lap.

"It went well?" Mark asked as he stroked Callie's hair.

"It went well," Callie stated as she slipped off her shoes and got comfortable for the night.

Mark had left shortly after Callie returned from her evening with Arizona. Callie was trying to sleep but couldn't stop thinking about her evening with Arizona. Things felt so natural with the blonde. She didn't have to try too hard or be someone else for her. They were able to talk like they hadn't spent the last five years apart. No one could compare to Arizona in the last five years.

Addison and Naomi had tried setting her up multiple times and each lady only made it two dates if that before Callie concluded that there just wasn't a future with them. Only one girl had made it longer than the prescribed two dates, Nikki. If Callie was completely honest with herself she only kept dating Nikki because she was extremely sexually frustrated and the other woman was amazing in bed. But like all the other girls before her, once Callie was no longer sexually needy – Nikki got the boot.

But now, after one "date" with Arizona, the butterflies were back and she couldn't close her eyes without seeing the perky, blonde, beautiful pediatric surgeon in her dreams. Callie tried not to think about the children issue that had once broken them up but it couldn't be avoided. It was a nagging feeling in the back of her head.

Callie spent the night fighting with her feelings. Her feelings of attraction and love for Arizona fought with her desire to protect her heart and her child from being hurt if things went wrong.

Callie didn't know what to do. She tossed and turned all night with fitful sleep.

* * *

Arizona couldn't stop smiling on her drive home. She sang along loudly to the radio and didn't care who saw her belting out the latest Lady GaGa song. She touched her fingers to her lips, remembering the kisses that she shared with Callie just minutes before. She couldn't wait to go to bed, just so she could wake up and see Callie and Jamie again in the morning.

Arizona was falling in love with Callie Torres and her son. Truthfully, Arizona never stopped loving Callie. She pushed her out of her mind, hid all pictures of the Latina and avoided all discussion of her but that didn't stop her dreams and memories from visiting her when she had free time. She broke up with her last serious girlfriend, Traci, because she knew that Traci was about to break up with her. Traci had been a great girlfriend, perfect in fact considering that Arizona was a bad one. Arizona went through the motions but never went out of her way to spoil Traci and lavish her with attention. So when Arizona felt the breakup coming, she did it first so that Traci wouldn't feel guilty for doing it first.

But now after a week with Callie back in her life, all the emotions that she had been hiding were flooding back to her and she didn't want to stop them. Arizona knew that Callie probably wasn't even looking for a relationship but she would settle for whatever the Latina would give her and wait her out until she was ready for more.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Arizona was perkier than normal the next day as she entered the hospital.

"Morning boss," Alex greeted her as she rolled toward him, "What's on the agenda today?"

"We have two surgeries on the board for this afternoon and Jamie's chemo this morning," Arizona told Alex as she grabbed the chart Alex was holding.

"We don't need to be there for the chemo," Alex said, looking confused.

"You don't, but I do. I want to make sure he feels comfortable around the new doctors."

Alex snorted, "Right, and you want to flirt with Torres. Can you wait another week to get with her?"

Arizona smirked, "How much is this pool up to exactly? Wait, I don't even want to know. Let's go do rounds, Dr. Karev."

* * *

After finishing rounds, Arizona headed up to Oncology to visit her most important patient. For the first time since Callie and her son arrived back in Seattle, Arizona wasn't nervous at entering the little boy's room.

She walked into the room and saw Jamie sitting up in the bed with a video game controller in his hand. Arizona then glanced over to the couch and saw Callie looking intensely at the television, her tongue sticking out, while pressing buttons on her controlled angrily.

Arizona stood in the doorway taking in the scene as the two Torres' were in the middle of a very heated video game battle. She was happy to see both Torres' happy and smiling.

"You're cheating, Mama!" Jamie exclaimed as he continued to turn his controller as if he was turning the steering wheel on a car.

"It's not cheating if the game let's me do it, son," Callie was quick to retort. "Ha! I win!"

"Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooom," Jamie cried, "I'm only four! You're _supposed_ to let kids win games!"

Callie looked lovingly at her son, "One day you'll be able to beat me but if I just let you win, how will you get any better?"

Jamie groaned as he threw the controller on the bed and pouted. Arizona saw an opportunity to make her presence known, "Hey Jamie," Arizona said as Jamie and Callie's heads popped up to see her, "I bet I can beat your mom."

"No way!" Callie cried, "If you don't remember, I am the queen of video games."

"We'll just see about that," Arizona retorted as she grabbed the controller and sat on Jamie's bed.

"Come on Ari! Beat her for me!" Jamie said excitedly.

Arizona turned to look at Jamie's brown eyes and smiled, "You got it, kiddo."

Callie sighed and pressed the buttons on her controller to start a new race.

The two women looked intently at the television screen. Callie took an early lead in the race but Arizona knew how to play dirty. As their cars headed toward a turn Arizona crashed her car into Callie's to knock her out of first place. Callie took her eyes off the screen to glance at Arizona, "Oh now _that _is dirty, Dr. Robbins." Callie soon had her car neck and neck with Arizona's as they approached the finish line.

Arizona smiled cheekily, happy with her position in first place. "Watch this Jamie," Arizona said as she pushed a few buttons that gave her car a turbo boost and pushed her over the finish line in first place.

Arizona lifted her hands in victory as she began to do a dance on the bed. To her surprise Jamie took the opportunity to jump into her arms and give her a hug, "That was awesome, Ari. You have to do that again!"

Arizona returned the hug, being careful not to hurt him, "I will, but right now you have somewhere to be, Mr. Torres." Arizona gently lifted him off of the bed and placed him in a wheelchair.

Callie had since moved off of the couch and stood behind the wheelchair. She started to push her son toward the chemotherapy room with Arizona at her side. She whispered to the blonde, "How did you learn that? You've never beaten me at video games before."

Arizona smiled and winked, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

* * *

Jamie knew what chemotherapy was. He had been through it before, many times. He sat in his chair and played a handheld video game while the IV dripped the poison into his body. His mother was more of a wreck than he was. Callie was constantly asking Jamie if he was all right as he rolled his eyes at her – a trait no doubt he picked up from his mother. After Arizona's video game performance, Jamie was much more interested in getting her tips on the video game he was busy playing. Arizona sat next to him, occasionally pointing at the screen and giving him tips for what to do next. Callie watched as her son was smiling and giggling all the while having poison infiltrate his body.

After his treatment, Arizona had to go take care of her surgeries and other duties while Callie wanted to make sure Jamie ate before the full effect of the chemo took hold of her son's body.

* * *

Arizona's day didn't end after her two planned surgeries and evening rounds. A trauma came into the ER and she had an emergency surgery on a child that she just couldn't save.

A few floors above her, Callie's day wasn't much better. By evening the chemo had taken hold of her son and she spent the evening trying to make him feel better. Jamie was restless in bed. The chemo drained the life from the little boy and made him weak and nauseous. After hours of watching her son in pain, Callie finally demanded Dr. Brown give her son some better pain management. She watched Jamie drift to sleep, wishing she could take his pain away but knew that he had to go through this all over again tomorrow.

After calling time of death on her patient, Arizona wanted to check in on Jamie. She was in a foul mood after the loss of a patient and needed to see something happy to cheer her up. She wanted to see her miracle patient. She peeked in the door and saw Jamie fast asleep in bed with Callie reading on the couch next to him.

"Hey," Arizona greeted Callie meekly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping boy. "How is he?"

Callie looked up from her book and shook her head, "Not good. He finally passed out about an hour ago."

Arizona took a seat next to Callie, placed her hand on Callie's shoulder and squeezed gently, "I'm sorry."

Callie relaxed into Arizona's embrace, "Thank you, for being there today. Until he got sick tonight, he kept talking about how good you are at video games. He used to ask me for help but this afternoon he kept asking when you would come back to teach him. Which by the way – how did you get so good?"

Arizona enjoyed being able to feel so comfortable around Callie after their date the day before. She leaned against the couch, "Like I said, that's for me to know and for you to find out."

Callie grinned and turned to look at the blonde, "I bet I can make you tell me."

Arizona smiled at the sexual innuendo of Callie's words, "We'll see about that, Torres."

"It's on. Right now, Robbins." Callie said as she turned the video game system on.

The two battled back and forth for hours with each taking turns in both winning and losing the races until they got too tired to keep their eyes open.

* * *

The next two days were much the same. Arizona would make time to be with Jamie while he received his chemo treatments. She'd stop by to check up on him throughout the day. At night when his body finally gave into sleep, she'd hang out with Callie. The two would spend hours playing video games. Neither woman brought up their date, the kiss or their comforting touches that they couldn't seem to stop. Both knew that they needed to talk about it. To talk about them. But the fear of talking about it and not getting the desired result made them keep putting off the conversation.

* * *

Thursday was Arizona's day off. It was also the fourth day of Jamie's first round of chemo treatments. If all went well, Friday after his treatment, Arizona would be able to discharge him from Seattle Grace – Mercy West.

Even on her day off Arizona made a point to be there for his chemo. She strolled into the room wearing her street clothes – a pair of tight denim jeans and a thin green long sleeved t-shirt. Seeing Arizona walk in the room in that outfit made Callie's jaw drop. Besides their date the other night Callie hadn't seen Arizona in anything but her navy blue scrubs, not that the scrubs didn't look good on Arizona, but this outfit made her look hot.

Jamie was asleep in the bed when she arrived so Arizona took her normal spot on the couch next to Callie. "Rough day?" She asked the brown-eyed beauty next to her.

"He was up all night throwing up. It's getting worse and the pain meds aren't helping as much as they were," Callie said as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"It'll get better after tomorrow. At least for a week or so before we have to do this all over again." Arizona stiffened. She had just used the word 'we' when referencing Jamie and his treatment. If Callie noticed the slip, she didn't let on.

"I know. I'm ready to get him out of this hospital. It's been three weeks since he's been outside even. I just… I just wish he could have a normal life. He should be in preschool right now. Not getting chemo."

Arizona's heart broke as she listened to Callie talk about how Jamie's life should be right now. She grabbed Callie's hand and began to run her thumb over the back of it, something that always soothed Callie before.

"I just wanted to let you know, I won't be around tonight," Arizona said as she continued to massage Callie's hand.

Callie's mind raced. She wanted to know why Arizona wouldn't be around the hospital tonight but knew she had no right to ask. 'Please don't be going on a date,' Callie was thinking to herself as Arizona continued.

"I have plans with Mark tonight. And Addison too now, probably, since they are joined at the hip," Arizona continued.

Callie sighed inwardly, 'At least it's not a date.' Though she was curious as to what Arizona was up to with her best friends.

Arizona could tell Callie got anxious when she mentioned she had other plans for the evening. She secretly hoped Callie would be jealous if she thought she had a date but she couldn't let Callie think that so she had to clarify her plans. Arizona felt that Callie was still unsure about the blonde, so she wanted to relax her. "You know, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night…having you and Jamie in the house. It's been really lonely going home every night this week after spending my days with you guys." Arizona hoped Callie would understand her hidden meaning in those words. Understand how much Arizona wanted Callie and Jamie in her home and in her life.

"I'm looking forward to it too," Callie smiled, "It'll be nice to not live in a hospital anymore. I used to love the hospital. It was my home. But now, the memories have changed."

* * *

"Did you tell Callie what you were up to tonight? You have been spending every night with her this week," Mark asked the blonde as he assembled furniture.

"I told her that I had plans with you and Addison. She didn't ask any other questions," Arizona retorted as she fumbled through the directions as she heard a loud bang.

"Ouch!" Addison cried, "Who knew putting together kids' furniture was so difficult."

"Suck it up, Montgomery," Arizona glared at the pouting redhead, "we have to get this done tonight. I want everything to be perfect for Jamie."

"It will. Look we already got the room painted and most of the furniture put together. The toys are all put up. This place is going to be heaven for him," Addison said as she looked on proudly at everything the threesome had been able to accomplish in one day.

Mark stood up from the desk he had just finished building, "I hate to break up this party, but I have one more errand I need to run. I'll be back in an hour and I'll bring food."

Almost exactly one hour later Mark returned to the blue house on the corner. Arizona and Addison were putting the finishing touches on the little boy's new bedroom when a little ball of fluff came running into the room.

"Marcus Sloan, if that is what I think it is, I am going to hurt you," Arizona yelled.

Mark entered the room and picked up the beagle puppy and began to pet it, "I promised the kid a puppy if he didn't die. And well, he didn't die."

"But not in my house, Mark!" Arizona exclaimed as she looked at the little creature that Addison was now holding.

"Arizona, he's so cute. How can you say no?" Addison said as she gave the puppy kisses.

"Mark! You know Jamie's not well enough to take care of a puppy. Which means this puppy becomes Callie and I's puppy. And you also know that I am never home. This cute little puppy needs someone who can take care of it all the time, not just a few hours a day." By the time Arizona finished her lecture, Addison had moved closer to her and held the puppy up in her face.

"I promise that I will help with the dog, Zona." Mark said. Mark was pulling out the nicknames, he really wanted to get on Arizona's good side. He knew he promised Jamie a puppy and he had to deliver on that promise.

"How are you going to do that? You live fifteen minutes away. You're not going to drive over here in Seattle traffic just to let the dog outside."

Mark looked at Addison, "Well, I've been thinking about moving out of the apartment. It's time to be an adult and have my own place. And, I hear this is a great neighborhood. There also might be a house down the street that I want to make an offer on. I'd love to be close to my godson, almost losing him showed me that."

Looking at Mark's puppy dog eyes and actual puppy dog eyes, she couldn't say no, "He can stay but only if you promise you're helping. If you don't help, I swear I will use a brick on you…Now hand me the cute little puppy."

Addison handed Arizona the cutest beagle puppy, "Jamie is going to die when he sees this little guy." Arizona and Mark glared at her, "Okay, poor choice of words. But you know he is going to be so excited."

Arizona smiled, "He really will. Mark, can you keep him at your place until you guys come over tomorrow night?"

"No problem, come here little dude. We're going to have fun together until you get to meet Jamie. You're going to love Jamie. He's going to teach you lots of tricks and pet you lots."

Arizona began to tidy the room, which was already perfect. The walls were a deep navy blue and adorned with pictures of his family, posters of cars and baseball players. His race car bed was made up with Cars bedding. The toys were overflowing the toy box and Arizona made sure the Nintendo Wii was hooked up and loaded with his favorite game.

"Arizona, stop. It's perfect. Jamie and Callie are going to love it. Now, Mark and I are going to go. We'll see you guys tomorrow for dinner, okay?" Addison said as she grabbed her purse.

Arizona nodded but kept straightening the perfectly straight books on the shelf.

"Calm down, Zona. It really is perfect," Mark said as he pulled her into a goodbye hug.

"Okay, okay. Night guys. Thanks for the help."


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**

* * *

**

Arizona was a nervous wreck at work that Friday. She had a light schedule but she found herself being unable to focus on even the simplest task. She was nervous about what was going to happen that day. The last time she was this nervous, she was trying to work up the courage to kiss a certain Latina at Joe's. Only today, she couldn't take a few shots of liquid courage to help calm the nerves.

Her protégé, Alex, noticed her uneasiness and scatterbrained actions.

"Dude, just go see them. You know they're in chemo right now. I'll take care of everything the rest of your shift," Alex said while watching Arizona attempt to read an x-ray. "Can you even tell me what bone you're looking at?"

Arizona looked confused as she tried to fixate on the x-ray, "Ehh…."

Alex interrupted before she could answer, "This is why you are done for the day. Enjoy your weekend, Dr. Robbins."

* * *

Arizona quickly changed her clothes and ran up the stairs to the treatment room. She slowed to a casual walk as she neared the treatment room door, not wanting her nervous energy to show to Callie and Jamie.

She straightened her clothes and put on her best smile before opening the door. She started to say hello when she was cut off by a small voice, "Ari!" James yelled.

Callie's head rose from the book she was reading and she smiled, "We didn't expect to see you for another couple of hours."

Arizona smiled at the two and walked to sit down on the bed next to Jamie, "Karev offered to finish up for me, so here I am. How are you feeling today Jamie?"

Jamie didn't answer he just frowned and buried his head in Callie's shoulder.

"That good?" Arizona questioned Callie who shook her head.

Callie looked at her son and tilted his head up so that he was looking her in the eyes, "But today we get to get out of the hospital, Jam. Remember what I said? We're going to go stay at Ari's house for awhile."

Jamie picked his head up and smiled, "Do you have video games?"

Arizona chuckled and rubbed her hand on his bald head, "Of course. You'll be able to beat your mom soon!"

Callie scoffed and looked offended, "We'll see about that."

Soon, Jamie's chemo treatment was finished and they went back to his room to wait for the oncologist to give him the all clear. Dr. Brown visited and gave her instructions for home care and pain management. Now, the only step left was for Arizona to discharge him. She did a quick exam without saying a word. Callie and Jamie looked at Arizona impatiently as she finished. Arizona paused for dramatic effect before declaring, "He can go home."

Even though he was weak and nauseous from the chemo, Jamie threw himself into Arizona's arms, "YAY! Can we go now mom? I'm ready!"

Callie laughed, "Slow down speedy. First thing, let's get you dressed. It's cold outside and we don't need you getting sick."

Arizona left to go get the paperwork ready and by the time she returned Jamie was sitting in a wheelchair ready to push himself out of the building if he had to do so. Callie was surprised none of her friends had come up to say goodbye to her son, but Arizona knew it was because she had planned a family dinner at her house to welcome them home.

* * *

"We're here!" Arizona exclaimed as she watched Callie lift her son out of the car and carry him into the house. The little boy had been so excited earlier in the day to go home that now that he was actually out of the hospital he was in desperate need of a nap. After looking at the sleepy boy in Callie's arms, she continued, "Let's get him upstairs for a nap. He needs his rest for tonight."

Callie gave Arizona a questioning glance, "What's going on tonight?"

"Oh nothing, I just thought we could all use some non-hospital food," Arizona said as she led the way upstairs. "I thought we'd put him in the room Addison used when you guys stayed here."

Callie walked to the room and nudged open the door. Her mouth dropped, "Ari, this is incredible. How… When did you do this?"

"You were there when we bought everything silly," Arizona said as she pulled back the covers on Jamie's new bed.

"I know, but they said it'd take two weeks to get it all delivered," Callie said as she laid her son into the race car bed, tucking him under the covers.

"Well, I talked to a few people and got it all worked out. Then yesterday we put it all together."

"So this is what you and my best friends were doing last night," Callie chuckled, "I began to think it was some weird threesome."

Arizona scrunched her nose, "Ick."

"No really, Arizona," Callie said as she grabbed Arizona's hand, "This is awesome. He's going to really love it when he wakes up. It's way better than his room in LA."

* * *

The two quietly exited the room. Callie looked at Arizona nervously, "So…what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not used to having free time. We could watch some television? Dinner isn't going to be for a few more hours."

Arizona and Callie walked back downstairs to the living room. Arizona fumbled with the TV remote before finally getting it turned on, "Anything you want to watch?"

"Something rated at least PG-13, please. I know you love Disney but that's all I've seen for the last four years," Callie laughed.

Arizona giggled and settled on a comedy show. 'Callie deserves some laughs,' she thought.

Arizona sat down on the opposite end of the same couch as Callie. They sat closer to each other at the hospital everyday but something about being at home made her put more space between herself and the object of her affection.

They remained silent as the show started. Arizona kept looking at Callie and unbeknownst to her, Callie was also stealing glances across the couch. Callie could see Arizona fumbling with her hands. She knew the blonde was nervous. Arizona played with her fingers during their first date, before they had sex for the first time and again the night they broke up. Callie wanted to break the obvious tension in the room.

Callie stood up, "I'm going to get a drink. You want one?"

"Yeah, just whatever you're having."

Callie returned a few minutes later with two glasses of wine. She sat down closer to Arizona as she handed the blonde her glass.

"Thanks," Arizona murmured into her glass.

"Did I miss anything?" Callie asked as she leaned back on the couch.

Arizona was too busy staring at the beauty in front of her to answer the question.

"Arizona? Are you there?" Callie said while waving her hand in front of Arizona's face.

Arizona immediately snapped out of it, "Huh? No. Sorry. Nope. You didn't miss anything. I paused it for you."

Callie moved her hand over Arizona's as they resumed watching. As the show continued Arizona and Callie continued to slowly move closer together. When their bodies were close enough to touch Arizona rested her head on Callie's shoulder. She inhaled Callie's scent and sighed, "God, I've missed you." At first Arizona wasn't sure if she said the words that she was thinking aloud. She couldn't bear to look at the raven haired beauty for confirmation so instead she just stared at the television.

Without looking at the blonde, Callie placed a kiss on her temple, "I've missed you too, Ari." Callie and Arizona sat in silence for another moment before Callie continued, "What are we doing here, Ari?"

Arizona sat up and looked at Callie and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. As she opened her mouth to speak they heard a scream come from upstairs.

Callie stood up and ran up the stairs, "Shit. He's probably freaked out. He doesn't know where he is."

Arizona was quick to follow Callie. When Arizona reached the doorway she saw Callie comforting Jamie who looked to no longer be afraid. Callie was whispering into his ear and saw his face fill with a smile. Jamie stood up and ran to Arizona, hugging her leg. "Thank you for my room, Ari. I love it," the little boy said as Arizona knelt down to his level.

"You're welcome, Jamie. I wanted you to feel at home here," Arizona said as she looked into his eyes. She could see his dried tears from when he woke up afraid.

"This is way better than home, right Mama?"

"Yeah, Jam. This room is way better than your room in LA," Callie said as she lifted Jamie into a hug. "Did you see all the toys?" Callie asked the little boy as she walked him over to the chest that was overflowing with toys.

As she watched the mother and son look around the room, Arizona stepped outside to answer her cell phone. Mark was calling to let her know he was on his way with his gift and the others would be there soon with the food.

"Hey Cal – why don't you show him all the video games you picked out. I'm going to go get ready for dinner."

Jamie heard the words video games and immediately threw down the truck he was playing with, "Video games, Mama? Show me!"

"I'll come get you when dinner's ready," Arizona said to Callie as she left the room watching Jamie jump up and down excitedly all over the room made her insides feel

warm and fuzzy. She couldn't help but smile as she headed downstairs.

* * *

Arizona raced down to the kitchen to start setting things up for the dinner party. Her friends were bringing the food but she still had to make the dining room pretty. She grabbed a stack of plates from the cabinet and set them on the table. She pulled out several bottles of wine, knowing that Cristina would definitely be bringing the tequila supply. Once she had things set up buffet style she nodded her head, happy with her work.

No sooner than she finished in the dining room, Mark knocked on the door before letting himself and Addison in. Addison was carrying the puppy while Mark brought in the puppies things. Arizona couldn't believe how much stuff came with such a small dog.

"Is all this for the puppy?" Arizona questioned, "I think we bought less stuff for Jamie's room than you have here!"

"Where's Jamie?" Addison questioned while petting the dog.

"He's upstairs with Callie playing video games. I'm sure he's going to go crazy when he sees this dog. I'll go call them down here so they can meet."

* * *

Arizona walked into Jamie's room to see the two playing with legos. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Dinner ready?" Callie asked while looking up from the castle she had been building while Jamie continued to focus on his own castle.

"No, but Jamie you have a visitor that can't wait to meet you."

Callie looked at Arizona curiously who smirked back at her.

Jamie jumped up knocking his castle into pieces, "Where?"

"Out in the backyard. I'll show you," Arizona said as she took his hand and smiled smugly at Callie as they walked out of the bedroom.

Arizona led Jamie into the back yard who immediately recognized Mark and Addison who had their backs turned. Once he saw Mark he ran at him, "Uncle Mark!"

By this point Callie had joined them in the backyard, she immediately saw what Jamie hadn't seen yet. She started to yell at Mark but was quickly shushed by Addison.

Mark gently put Jamie onto the grass, "I promised you something before you had your surgery, Jamie. And I keep my promises. So I'd like you to meet a friend of mine."

Jamie immediately looked up to try to see who else was in the back yard but he knew everyone standing there. Mark nudged Jamie so that he was looking down at the area where the puppy was rolling in the grass. Jamie's mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He walked over tentatively and stopped just before reaching the puppy. He looked at his mom for approval and Callie reluctantly nodded yes. She would have words with Mark later about the dog but at this point couldn't say no to her child.

After receiving permission from his mother Jamie lunged at the little puppy and tried to pick him up. The puppy didn't weigh more than six pounds but the chemo had left Jamie weak. Mark was soon by his side and patted to the grass, motioning for Jamie to sit down. Once Jamie was sitting Mark lifted the puppy into the boy's arms. It was love at first sight between the two kids – Jamie and the puppy.

"So Jamie, I think this little guy needs a name," Mark said as he gently pet the dog in Jamie's arms.

"I don't know, Uncle Mark," Jamie replied while placing kisses on the beagle's nose.

"Well, what comes to mind when you see him?"

Jamie looked at the puppy. He had floppy ears and his coat was marked with black spots. The puppy looked up at Jamie and licked him. "He has lots of spots on him, Uncle Mark. I think I'll call him Spot. That way I won't forget his name."

* * *

As Jamie played outside with Spot, the Seattle Grace-Mercy West family began to arrive at Arizona's home. Each guest brought a dish to be enjoyed by the group. Some people, like Cristina Yang, brought take-out containers. Once everyone arrived, the table was soon filled with laughter and smiles. Callie looked around the table and felt grateful for everyone who supported her during this difficult time. Watching everyone talk and laugh, it brought her back to her life five years prior. She missed this in LA. While she had her friends at work, they weren't as close as the surgeons in Seattle. For all of their incestuous relationships, it made them closer. It had been five years since she surrounded herself with these people but she fit back in like she had never left.

As dinner winded down, Callie could see Jamie getting tired. He barely ate anything for dinner but that was expected as the chemo makes him too nauseous to eat. The group began to migrate to the living room for drinks and Callie quietly slipped upstairs to put Jamie to bed. No one seemed to notice her disappearance except Arizona. After a few minutes, Arizona decided to check on Callie. She quietly walked upstairs and leaned on the doorframe to Jamie's room. She watched quietly as Callie sang her son a lullabye and watched his eyelids flutter close. Arizona didn't even realize the smile that crept on her face. As she finished her song, Callie looked up and saw Arizona staring at her and smiling. Callie blushed as she walked out of the room.

"It's been a long day, huh?" Arizona whispered.

"Yeah, I think the puppy really wore him out," Callie sighed as she leaned against the wall.

"You too, it looks like it," Arizona said as she heard the laughter roar from downstairs, "I can kick them out if you want… to get some rest, you know?"

Callie shook her head vehemently, "No, no. It's nice having everyone here. I've really missed everyone."

Arizona smiled as she grabbed her hand and led her back down to her friends, "We've missed you too."

After another hour of socializing Arizona could see how tired Callie was getting. She found Mark and quietly whispered into his ear. Within minutes, Mark was able to subtly get the crowd to move the party to Joe's.

Arizona saw Callie begin to pick up glasses and dishes from around the messy living area. She grabbed a handful of glasses herself and walked to the kitchen to place them in the sink where she met Callie.

"Stop, I'll clean tomorrow morning," Arizona said as she placed the wine glasses in the sink.

"It's the least I can do," she said as she looked at Arizona lovingly, "Plus, you told me to treat this like my home."

Arizona frowned as her next defense to get Callie to stop cleaning was to claim she was a guest, but Callie had been right, she did say to treat this as her home. "Okay, how about we both clean up in the morning. It's been a long day for you, you should get some rest."

Callie rolled her eyes, "Arizona, I'm not a child. I can go to bed when I'm ready. And I'm not ready. How about one more glass of wine?"

"Sure," Arizona replied as she grabbed two clean glasses and filled them.

The two sat down at the breakfast bar and sipped their wine. A peaceful silence loomed over them.

Callie was first to break the silence, "I'm sorry I left."

Without looking at her Arizona replied, "I'm sorry I didn't come find you."

"I should have been more patient with you," Callie spoke as she took a sip of wine.

"I should have considered changing for you, but I was selfish and didn't. And then, I lost you."

Callie finally broke her gaze from the wine glass and looked toward the petite blonde, "I shouldn't have run. I just couldn't stand to think about being around you every day and not being able to kiss you."

Arizona continued to stare at her wine glass even though she knew Callie was now looking at her, "It still hurt, even though you weren't here. It took a long time for it not to hurt anymore. Everything reminded me of you. I couldn't go anywhere in the hospital without having a memory of you," Arizona continued as she looked up and locked eyes with Callie, "And now you're back, and all the memories have flooded my head again."

Callie could see tears welling up in Arizona's eyes, "I'm sorry I came back. I didn't mean to hurt you ever again. I definitely didn't plan on coming back here. Trust me, you're not the only one with memories coming back."

Arizona's voice started cracking, she knew she had to tell the truth, "I spent five years hating you. Hating you for leaving me. I thought that if I ever saw you again, I'd be okay because I spent so much time being angry with you. Instead it was just the opposite. When I saw you at the coffee cart looking so sad, all I wanted to do was hold you." Arizona sighed as she finished her speech.

Callie stared at Arizona while she was speaking. She could see the pain in her eyes. She could see how much she hurt her by leaving. Callie was silent while trying to figure out how to respond but chose to stop thinking and to just speak from her heart. "I was hurting too. Just because I wasn't here, didn't mean I wasn't hurting. You broke my heart when you said you didn't want kids. You didn't even consider having kids and you wouldn't tell me why you didn't want them. So I did what I had to do and I ran. And five years later God wanted to laugh at me some more and made my son so sick that I had to come back and have you of all people fix him. While I'm not glad he is sick, I am glad it forced me back here because this is my home. I haven't felt this comfortable the entire time I was in LA," Callie sighed as she looked up at Arizona and continued, "Arizona, maybe us staying here isn't such a good idea. It's too hard because all I want to do is kiss you. I think I should start looking for a house of my…"

Before Callie could finish her sentence Arizona's lips were on hers. Arizona threw her arms around Callie's neck and began to deepen the kiss. She snaked her tongue into Callie's mouth and the two groaned into the kiss. Callie hands had made their way to Arizona's waist and she held her tightly. Eventually they needed air and broke the kiss. Callie leaned her forehead against Arizona's, "You've got to stop kissing me like that. You're not making this any easier."

Arizona laughed as she pulled Callie back into another kiss, "I don't want you to move out. I like having you here."

Callie quickly captured Arizona's lips in another fiery kiss. This time their hands began to roam over the familiar bodies. Callie's hands traveled lower to grab Arizona's tight ass while Arizona moved her hands up and down Callie's sides grazing her breasts.

"We've got to stop," Arizona said in between kisses, "I want to do this right. A fresh start."

Callie looked at her confused, she was incredibly turned on and wanted to continue this upstairs.

"Calliope Torres, would you go on a date with me?" Arizona asked with grin.

Callie took this opportunity to flashback to the first time Arizona asked her on a date, "Maybe… my schedule's pretty crazy right now."

Arizona's face dropped, "Maybe? Callie…"

Callie laughed, "How's tomorrow? I think I can get Addison and Mark to watch the rugrat."

"Tomorrow sounds good," Arizona said as she turned to walk upstairs, "Goodnight, Calliope."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Arizona had a difficult time falling asleep that night. Her mind kept replaying the steamy kisses she shared with Callie hours before. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed over the last few weeks. Before Callie came back she was a workaholic. She threw herself into her job because she was afraid of having a personal life. She was afraid of getting hurt again and to be honest with herself, hadn't moved on from Callie. She worked as many hours as she could without Derek throwing her out of the hospital. When she wasn't working she was researching new and innovative ways to save children. Work and medicine made Arizona happy. But now, a few short weeks later, Arizona was working the bare minimum. She asked Derek to cut back her hours so she could focus on Jamie. She was having a social life again – granted it was a social life with Callie, Jamie, Addison and Mark but she was still being social. And if she was honest with herself, she hadn't been this happy in years.

"Now, where do I take Calliope for our second first date?" Arizona thought as she tossed and turned in bed.

Next door, Callie wasn't having any luck falling asleep either. While she and Arizona had hung out a lot these past few weeks and they had touched and kissed a few times, she knew tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow would hopefully be the start of a new relationship with her soulmate. Callie sighed and smiled as she stared at the ceiling while waiting for sleep to come.

* * *

Arizona had always been a morning person even after a late night or a long shift, she didn't see the point to sleeping the day away. Callie on the other hand loved her sleep. She would sleep until noon everyday if she had her way.

Arizona made a point to wake up early the next morning so that she could intercept Jamie. She wanted to let Callie sleep in, something she figured the beauty hadn't gotten to do in a very long time.

When Arizona woke up at 6:30 she peeked into Jamie's room to see the little boy quietly playing a handheld video game. His eyes brightened when he saw Arizona standing in the doorway. He started to speak but Arizona quickly put her finger over his mouth as she scooped him up and took him downstairs, "Let's not wake up your mom, okay?"

Jamie nodded and ran to Spot's kennel once they made their way downstairs. It was another cold fall day in Seattle so Arizona made sure to bundle Jamie up as they went outside to let Spot take care of his business. She let the two play outside while she went in to make some breakfast for the boy. She made sure to stock the fridge before Callie and Jamie moved in. Before she could get started she was greeted with a red-faced Jamie who was gasping for breath, "Having fun with Spot, Jamie?"

"I love him, Ari!' Jamie exclaimed as Arizona helped him up onto the barstool at the breakfast counter.

"I'm really glad, Jamie. You deserve him. Now, what do you want for breakfast? Pancakes? Waffles? Cereal?"

Jamie put his finger on his chin and pretended to think before looking at the blonde and smiling, "Waffles, please."

"You got it, buddy." Arizona said as she went to gather the ingredients to make waffles, "Do you think your mom will want waffles too?"

"She loves waffles!"

Arizona mixed up the batter for the waffles and even set out to make some scrambled eggs. She knew she was playing with fire as she wasn't the best cook but she figured she could handle waffles and eggs.

Arizona put a plate in front of Jamie who wondered aloud, "Should we wake up Mama?"

"Let's let her sleep a little longer. I'll keep her food warm for when she gets up," Arizona said as she poured some syrup on her plate and Jamie's.

* * *

Callie woke up and saw the sun trying to break through the gray filled Seattle sky. She looked at the clock and cursed under her breath as she saw it was eight o'clock in the morning. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. She walked into the living room and smiled at what she saw; Arizona was laying on the floor against the couch with Spot in her lap while Jamie was sprawled out on the floor next to her. They were so deeply involved in their current video game, that Callie didn't even think they noticed her enter the room.

Spot, however, did notice the new addition and jumped out of Arizona's lap and raced to greet her. Arizona put the game on pause and looked up, "Good morning, sleepy head."

Once Jamie saw his mother he too jumped up to greet her, "Morning, Mama. Ari made you breakfast."

Callie picked up Jamie to give him kisses, "Oh she did, did she? Did she make you breakfast too?"

Jamie nodded and Callie continued, "And you're still alive?"

Jamie giggled as Arizona moved to stand next to them, "Hey, I'm offended by that remark, Calliope."

James had wiggled down from his mother's grip and went to play with Spot.

Callie turned to Arizona, "Why'd you let me sleep so late?"

"I just thought you could use the sleep. I know how much you like your sleep and I know you haven't gotten to sleep in in a very long time," Arizona said as she walked to the kitchen to warm up Callie's breakfast.

"Thank you," Callie said as she began to eat, "This is really good, Ari."

"You say that like you're surprised? I told you I have lots of new tricks." Arizona teased.

Callie finished her breakfast quietly, "Mark said he'd be over around noon. He wants to introduce Jamie to college football."

Arizona flashed a bright smile as she turned to head upstairs to her bedroom, "I'll pick you up at one then."

"Pick me up?" Callie questioned as she took another bite of waffles.

"I have to run in to work for a bit, but I'll definitely be home by one," Arizona said as she continued up the stairs, "Oh and Calliope, dress for the elements outside."

Callie couldn't help but smile at the blonde and wonder what she had up her sleeve for their date.

* * *

After an hour of video games, Jamie began to get cranky. Callie knew that he had been pushing himself too hard since he got released from the hospital the day before. After a one almost melt-down, Callie had Jamie resting in bed. She stayed and read him stories and watched movies while he drifted in and out of sleep. Jamie had gotten a few hours of rest when Mark arrived at the house. Jamie was happy to see his godfather and managed to convince his mother to let him go downstairs to watch football with Mark, as long as he and Mark promised that there was no playing, just tv.

Callie left the boys on the couch and went upstairs to get ready. She rifled through her bags looking for the perfect outfit. Callie sighed as all of her cute clothes would not work with the cold weather outside. She had been too used to living in LA in the land of the sunshine. She settled on a dark blue pair of skinny jeans and a tight fitting black sweater. She finished the look with turquoise jewelry and her favorite pair of Ugg cardigan boots. She'd make sure to bring along her trusty leather jacket if she needed more warmth, but she silently hoped she would be close enough to Arizona that she would keep her warm.

When Callie walked downstairs she was greeted by a wolf-whistle from Mark and a hug from Jamie.

"You look very pretty, Mama," Jamie said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Yeah, what he said, Cal," Mark commented as he checked her out. He too kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "You know, if you ever want to go back to men…"

Callie cut him off by smacking him on the shoulder, "Mark! What about Addison?"

"I'm just saying…" he replied as he sat back down to watch the football game on the screen.

"Why are you so pretty today, Mama?" Jamie asked as Callie sat down on the couch next to her son. Jamie wasn't used to seeing his mother so made up. She was either in scrubs or jeans and t-shirts while in the hospital with him.

"I'm going to go spend some time with Ari. Is that okay Jam?" Callie asked while tickling him in the side. While she has dated since she had Jamie she had only introduced him to one girl before and he was too young to remember that. Callie was worried about how her son would react or if he'd really even understand.

"Yeah, I like Ari. She's really fun. She teaches me how to win at video games and does the best voices when she reads me stories," Jamie replied as he nuzzled into his mother's side.

"Good, because I like her too," Callie murmured as she hugged her son tighter.

* * *

Arizona worked quickly at the hospital. While she did need to check up on a few patients, she really went to the hospital to organize her day with Calliope. She wanted the day to be a surprise. She wanted it to be fun for Callie, a break from the stress of dealing with Jamie's illness.

Arizona took the time to get ready at the hospital so that she was ready once she got back home to pick up Callie. After showering she left her hair curly, Callie always said she liked it best that way. She studied the different options she brought with her for clothing. She quickly tugged on her favorite jeans, the ones that hug her body just right. She wanted the date to be casual so she took time to debate her top. After trying on all three options she settled on a white wife beater underneath an open blue cardigan. After finishing up her makeup she checked her watch and saw that it was time to get back to the house to pick up Callie.

* * *

Arizona arrived at her own house but instead of entering through the garage like normal, she walked to the front door to ring the doorbell. She wanted every bit of this date to feel like a date for Callie. Today they were starting over.

Arizona really did feel like it was a first date. Her stomach was in knots and her palms were sweaty. She couldn't wait to see Callie but she was nervous for how the date would go. She tried to calm herself as she walked toward the door and rang the doorbell.

Inside, Mark and Jamie were both napping on the couch, oblivious to the ringing doorbell. Callie thought it was strange that someone was at the door but got up to answer it. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Arizona standing there waiting.

"Arizona? Did you forget your keys?" Callie asked while taking in the blonde's appearance.

"I told you I was going to pick you up, Callie. So I'm here at your home…picking you up." Arizona replied as she too took in her date's appearance. "You ready to go?"

Callie smiled, "Yeah, let me go wake Mark up and let him know I'm leaving."

A few minutes later Callie returned to the doorway and slipped on her jacket, "You look nice, Arizona."

Arizona smirked while looking at Callie, "Thanks, so do you."

The two headed toward Arizona's car. "So are you going to tell me what we're doing?" Callie asked as she sat down and buckled her seat belt.

"What's the fun in that?" Arizona answered as she put the car in reverse and headed out of the neighborhood.

Arizona zipped quickly through the back roads. "Are you hungry?" She asked, "I hope you didn't eat lunch."

"No, I didn't. I mean, yes, I could eat," Callie answered with a hint of nerves as she stared at the road in front of her.

"Perfect," Arizona answered as she linked her right hand with Callie's left.

* * *

Arizona planned the meal for the middle of the day, hoping that the sun would make an appearance and keep them warm while they dined outside. She knew that if she waited until dinner to take Callie to one of their favorite places, it would be too cold outside to enjoy it.

After ten minutes of driving, the car suddenly stopped outside a Chinese restaurant. It was one of their favorite places to get take-out when they were together.

Arizona looked over at Callie, "Sit tight. I'll be right back."

When Arizona returned a few minutes later, she simply put the bags in the trunk and got the car back on the road.

Callie smiled, knowing exactly where the blonde was headed next.

When they pulled into the familiar parking lot, Callie looked at Arizona with a smile. Arizona returned the smile and stated, "I thought a picnic would be nice."

Arizona popped open the trunk and grabbed a couple of blankets, pillows and the bags of food. With Callie's help carrying the two made their way into the park and set up their picnic.

"Who would have ever thought an old gas plant would be so beautiful," Callie stated as they looked out at Lake Union and the Seattle skyline.

"It will always be one of my favorite places in Seattle," Arizona said as she pulled out the food and plates.

The two were silent as they plated their food and began to eat.

After finishing a bite, Arizona began the conversation. "So Dr. Torres, tell me more about yourself. Where are you from? What do you like to do?"

Callie finished her bite, looking confused before responding, "Arizona, you know those answers already."

Arizona quickly shushed her date, "Calliope, this is our first date. I don't know what you are talking about. I know nothing about you."

Callie smiled, understanding where Arizona was going with this – she really wanted this to be a true first date. "Well, Dr. Robbins, I was raised in Miami where I lived until college. Then I went onto medical school and ended up matching with Seattle Grace hospital for my residency in orthopedics."

Arizona leaned back and nodded as she listened to Callie's introduction, "So what do you like to do when you're not being a doctor?"

Callie paused while eating, "I like cooking, dancing, playing video games. But normally when I'm not working, I'm just hanging out with my son."

"You have a son?" Arizona asked, playing dumb.

"Yes, James. He's four years old. He's been sick lately but when he's not sick we like to spend our time playing games, reading and watching movies. Hopefully once he gets better, we're going to get him into sports – baseball, football, you know? Normal activities for a growing boy." Callie paused, "So Arizona Robbins, it seems like I'm doing all the talking. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Well, I come from a military family so I grew up all around the country. I'm a pediatric surgeon and admit that I spend a lot of time working. But I'm starting to realize that there is more to life than just work."

Callie smiled and the two continued their normal first date banter while they ate and enjoyed the gorgeous view of Seattle. As they finished their meal Callie linked her hand with Arizona's, "Thanks for lunch. I had a great time."

"Oh the date's not over yet, Dr. Torres," Arizona said as she pulled Callie up.

The two collected their things and headed back to the car. Another short drive and they had arrived at their second location.

* * *

"Really, Ari?" Callie asked while looking at where they were parked.

"Yes, really. Now I don't think it is proper first date etiquette to question the date planner's plans," Arizona said as she walked over to Callie's door to open it for her.

"You do remember that you always lose and then you pout?" Caliie state calmly.

"I told you, I have new tricks," Arizona laughed as the two entered GameWorks.

Two hours later, one happy blonde and one pouting raven haired women exited the building.

"I cannot believe you won more tickets than me," Callie rolled her eyes.

"Stop pouting, Calliope. It's not attractive." Arizona linked her arm in Callie's.

* * *

Callie pouted the entire drive back to Arizona's house. Arizona walked Callie to the door, stopping before entering.

"So, I had a nice time," Arizona said while she held Callie's hands.

"So did I," Callie smiled.

Arizona fumbled their fingers nervously, "I'd like to do it again sometime… if you'd like."

Callie laughed, "I'd like that."

"Okay…"

"Okay…"

"So, I guess this is goodnight…" Arizona lingered over her words.

"Arizona…" Callie interrupted.

"No, Callie. This is our first date. I am walking you to the door and then well, I haven't gotten that far. This whole living together thing makes this walking you to the door…difficult."

Callie rolled her eyes at Arizona but played along, "Thanks for today."

"You're welcome. I'll call you later," Arizona said as she leaned in for a chaste kiss on the lips.

Arizona's lips lingered over Callie's before Callie pulled her head closer to her and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Arizona quickly pulled back and rested her forehead on Callie's. "This is only our first date, Callie. I'm not that easy, no matter what you've heard. I want to make this work and I don't want to jump into things. We need to learn everything about each other again. We have to take this slow."

Callie nodded, agreeing with everything the blonde was saying even though all she wanted to do was throw her against the wall and make out with her. "I agree, Ari," Callie said as she placed one last peck on Arizona's lips before pulling back, "We'll take things slow. Now can we go in, check on Jamie… and maybe order some pizza and watch a movie for our second date?"

Arizona laughed as they entered the house, "You are going to drive me crazy…"


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**

* * *

**

After returning from their first date the two entered the house quietly, it was early – only six o'clock in the evening but Jamie was still lethargic and they never knew when he would be sleeping.

Mark looked up from the couch at the two women as they walked in toward the living room. He smiled seeing how happy his two close friends looked after their day together. Jamie and Spot were passed out on Mark's lap but jostled awake when they felt the man move his body.

"Mama!" Jamie said sleepily as he saw that his mother was home.

Callie and Arizona walked into the living room with Callie sitting by Jamie and picking him up in her arms, "Hey baby, you have fun with Mark today?"

"When is a day with me not fun?" Mark scoffed as he looked at Callie and Jamie.

"Well then, what did you two do all day?" Callie asked as she looked at Mark.

"We watched football and Mark got mad because his team lost." Jamie pulled himself up to Callie's ear to whisper into it, "Uncle Mark said some bad words, Mama, but I promise I won't say them."

Callie glared at Mark, without needing to say anything he got the message and put his hands in the air in submission. "And with that, I'm going to go home. Good night, champ. Ladies."

"You look sleepy, Jam. You ready for bed?" Callie asked as she held her son.

Jamie shook his head no but the yawn he let out showed that he was tired.

"Come on, let's go to bed," Callie said as she stood up to walk upstairs.

Jamie, finally realizing that Arizona was in the room, "Ari, would you read me a story?"

Arizona beamed a smile with full dimples and grabbed Jamie's hand, "Sure thing. Let's go…"

* * *

Callie and Arizona each sat on one side of Jamie as Arizona read the boy a story. Arizona decided that Jamie could handle a more grown up book than Goodnight Moon so she brought out her copy of the first Harry Potter novel. She planned to read to him a chapter a night for as long as she could.

Jamie was mesmerized by the story about a young wizard and his world. Arizona was sure to use her best British accent and voices to help the little boy use his imagination to create the world in his head. Jamie was loving the story and got upset when the chapter was over. He begged for one more chapter but Callie put her foot down and insisted he go to sleep. After a short song goodnight Jamie was fast asleep.

Callie and Arizona quietly exited the room. "Harry Potter, Ari? Really? Not everyone has to be as big a nerd as you."

Arizona stopped walking and looked deeply into Callie's eyes, "Are you telling me, Calliope, that you weren't the one that made us go see the movies the day they came out?"

"Movies are different…" Callie protested.

"I'm going to go change into something more comfortable. You still want pizza?" Arizona asked as she walked toward her room.

"Yeah, pizza is good. I'll meet you downstairs."

* * *

Arizona quickly changed and skipped down the stairs in her yoga pants and tank top. She grabbed the phone and dialed her normal pizza delivery place. She placed her order, she hoped Callie still liked the meat lover's pizza but got a cheese pizza too just in case.

Arizona flopped on the couch, trying to find something on the television. Arizona was never home so she rarely even turned on her TV. In fact, she had to have Mark teach her how to use it when they were putting together the furniture the other day. After five minutes, Arizona decided that there was nothing on. She got up to rifle through her DVDs when she saw one that she knew they both would enjoy. Now the difficult part was figuring out how to watch a DVD in her entertainment system. Callie, had changed into her loungewear and come into the living room. She enjoyed the view she saw when she walked into the living room – Arizona bent over fumbling with buttons to get a DVD to play. After a few seconds of staring at Arizona's tight ass in the very tight yoga pants, she finally cleared her throat to make her appearance known.

"Need some help?" Callie said while trying to avert her eyes.

Arizona quickly jumped up and was exasperated, "I can't get this stupid thing to work. Mark showed me the other day but I completely forgot and now I can't find the written instructions he left."

Callie couldn't help but laugh at the petite blonde "You never were good with electronic things. Here let me." Callie grabbed the remote from Arizona and with a push of three buttons the TV, sound system and DVD player all turned on and started playing Arizona's chosen DVD.

Arizona couldn't help but blush when she sees how easily and quickly Callie is able to make the entertainment system function, she had Callie pause the movie to wait for their food to arrive. "I ordered pizza. It should be here soon."

Callie nodded, "Sounds good. I'm getting hungry. You're not going to torture me with a Disney movie tonight are you?"

Arizona looked at Callie mischievously, "Not exactly. Why don't we go grab some wine while we wait for the pizza before we start the movie."

Only a few minutes after uncorking the wine, the doorbell rang with the pizza. Arizona ran to pay the delivery guy and returned with the two boxes. After plating the food the two returned to the living room to start the movie.

Arizona grabbed the remote to start the DVD. When the sound came on she was thrilled that she had mastered the system; at least that part of it. "Ha. I win."

Callie laughed and rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."

As the familiar music played Callie shot Arizona a look, "Really? This is what you picked?"

Arizona looked at Callie innocently, "What? You were talking about it earlier. I just thought you might like a reminder of your past nerdy days as you called Harry Potter."

The two had finished their pizza and curled up into the couch to watch the movie. They started out sitting next to each other on the couch but with ample space between them. While the movie played the two gradually made their way toward each other like they had the prior day while watching tv. Arizona was too focused on what was happening on the couch to even pay attention to the movie. She was trying to slowly get closer to Callie without it being too obvious.

While Arizona was subtly shifting in her seat to get closer, Callie was watching her moves out of the corner of her eye. Callie loved the nerves that Arizona was showing by not knowing how to act on the couch. While Callie was just as confused as Arizona by what was happening between them, what she did know was that she wanted Arizona closer. Callie was waiting for her moment to make her move. She knew Arizona always jumped when the troll was terrorizing the Hogwarts castle. When Callie saw the scene coming she reached out and grabbed Arizona by the waist pulling them together, laying on the couch with Callie spooning behind Arizona. Callie's hand draped protectively around Arizona's waist. Arizona was caught off guard by the sudden contact but quickly relaxed into Callie's arms letting out a soft moan. As the movie continued Callie moved closer to Arizona as she nestled her head into the crook of Arizona's neck.

"This feels so good," Callie mumbled into Arizona's ear. Arizona didn't answer out loud, she just grabbed Callie's hand that was around her waist and tugged her closer to her body.

The two stayed in that position the rest of the movie. Neither one made an attempt to kiss or turn their movie date into anything more. They were simply enjoying being in each other's company. They both were taken back to the beginning of their relationship, years ago, and the comfort they found in each other. As the credits rolled both had already caved into the growing fatigue and had fallen asleep.

Arizona was the first to startle a few hours later. She quickly took note of her surroundings, a little off put that she wasn't in her bed until she realized that she was being held by Callie. She sighed and took a moment to enjoy the feeling before she moved to wake up the Latina. Arizona turned her head and in a moment of courage placed her lips softly on Callie's to try to wake up the sleeping beauty.

"Mmm," Callie groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, "we fell asleep."

"Yeah, we did. Good thing we've seen this movie before," Arizona whispered to Callie. "Come on, we should check on Jamie and get to bed."

Arizona started to stand up when she felt Callie reach for her arm and tug her back onto the couch. "We'll do that in a minute, but first…" Callie didn't finish her sentence but instead reached for Arizona's neck and pulled her into a steamy kiss. When Callie pulled away she whispered, "My goodnight kiss."

* * *

Callie peeked into Jamie's room to ensure he was still sleeping before turning to head back to her bedroom. She found Arizona leaning against her doorframe. Callie instinctively reached down and linked their fingers. Looking at Arizona gaze at the little boy, Callie realized she needed to say something before their relationship had gotten too far and she became too attached to what was building between her and Arizona. While they talked a little the previous night she was still unsure about Arizona and the kid issue. She had been avoiding the talk as she didn't want to lose Arizona, but she didn't want to hurt her heart again.

Arizona walked Callie to her bedroom door, "I had a really great time today, Cal. Really great."

Callie nodded, "Thanks for a great first date."

Arizona quickly interrupted, "And second date, too."

Callie looked as though she had more to say. Arizona cocked her head to the side taking in Callie's nervous state. It was as if Arizona knew what Callie was thinking, "Calliope, I know we have a lot we need to talk about, so maybe tomorrow we could find some time to do that… talk."

Callie looked up from her hands and stared into Arizona's blue eyes, "I'd really like that. To talk. Not that today wasn't nice but we do need to talk some more about things."

Callie leaned into Arizona and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek, "Good night, Arizona. Sleep well."

Arizona instinctively grabbed Callie's hand and pulled her back to her body and captured her lips in a searing good night kiss, "Now that is a proper good night, Calliope."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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Arizona was up all night thinking about Callie. She kept thinking about how good it felt to be with Callie again. To be in her arms. To feel her lips on hers. She smiled as she relived their day together. Eventually she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Callie couldn't fall asleep either after their day together. She had dreamed for years about being back with Arizona and now that she had her she couldn't help but smile. But she couldn't forget the nagging feeling in the back of her head. She couldn't help but remember the fight they had five years ago about having children. She couldn't help but replay Arizona's words in her head about not wanting children but wanting to go to Spain and drink sangria instead. Callie sighed and rolled over as she pushed the bad memories out of her head and tried to sleep.

* * *

Because it had taken her so long to fall asleep, Callie was still fast asleep at 7am. Normally, Jamie was awake no later than 6:30 so Callie was not used to sleeping later than 6 in the morning. Jamie had woken up and went to find his mother. He saw her still sleeping and decided that she needed a proper wakeup call. He proceeded to climb on her bed and jump. Callie was quickly startled when she felt her bed moving. She slowly opened her eyes to see her son, in his Spongebob pajamas, smiling and jumping on the bed. She smiled at the sight, she hadn't seen him this happy in months. Callie quickly grabbed Jamie's arms and pulled him down to her. She started tickling him, eliciting loud laughs from her son.

Down the hall, Arizona was waking up and getting ready for the day when she heard the laughter coming from Callie's room. She finished getting dressed and walked down to Callie's room. Arizona quietly pushed open the door and was surprised to see Callie and Jamie in the middle of a tickle war. Callie and Jamie both wore huge smiles on their faces and were laughing. Arizona smiled to herself as she turned away and let the mother and son have their moment together. Watching Callie with Jamie made Arizona feel funny inside. Not a bad funny, just a different feeling than she was used to having. She worked with children and their parents everyday. She saw them interact and saw them celebrate together after receiving good news but she had never been affected by watching a child with a parent before now.

* * *

After their tickle war ended in a draw, Callie reminded Jamie that he needed to go take care of his puppy – it needed to go outside and eat. The two quickly headed downstairs where they were greeted by Arizona making breakfast.

Arizona heard them coming as Jamie is as quiet as a marching band. She greeted the family, "Morning guys."

Jamie smiled as he raced through the room to find Spot, "Morning Ari, I gotta go take care of Spot."

Callie had much less energy than her son and slowly made her way through the kitchen, "Morning, need any help?"

Arizona smiled at the Latina who was still in her pajamas and rocking the bed head look, "Sure, you can make the eggs. I tend to burn them."

Callie walked to the fridge and grabbed the ingredients to make scrambled eggs with cheese, "I thought I was supposed to cook for you as payment for staying here?"

Arizona laughed, "You are – you have the eggs."

"Well how about tonight…I make dinner?"

Arizona looked into Callie's eyes, "I'd love that. I have to go to work soon but I'll be back by 6."

"I thought you had the weekend off?"

"I thought so too, but one of my long-term patients just got admitted again so I need to go see her and the parents."

Soon the pancakes and eggs were done. Callie went to find Jamie and get him ready for breakfast. Jamie monopolized the breakfast conversation telling the two women all about Spot's new trick – fetching a ball. After breakfast Arizona quickly headed for the hospital – the sooner she got there the sooner she could get home.

* * *

Arizona had just grabbed a coffee in the cafeteria, headed up to her office when she ran into Mark.

"I thought you had the weekend off, Robbins?" Mark questioned, surprised to see his friend at the hospital.

"I did but of course both days I've been called in," Arizona replied while sipping on her coffee.

Mark and Arizona walked toward the elevator together. "So how was your date with Callie last night?"

Arizona blushed, "It was really nice."

Mark crossed his arms, "Come on, you have to give me more than that, Blondie."

Arizona sighed and leaned her head back against the wall of the elevator, "It was amazing. It felt like we had never broken up."

Mark rolled his eyes, "Totally not what I mean, Blondie. Did you two? You know?"

Arizona slapped Mark with the chart she was holding, "Even if we did, which we didn't. I would not be telling you, Mark." Arizona hit him with the chart again, "Plus, I really want things to work this time. So we need to take it slow. And there is still a lot we haven't talked about."

"Talk? Who needs to talk?" Mark quipped.

"Adults in an adult relationship, Mark. Maybe this is why you're still single?" Arizona paused, "So how are things with Addison?"

Mark averted his eyes, "Things are good."

Arizona chuckled, "So you two…are…?"

Mark sighed in defeat and mumbled, "We're taking it slow."

Arizona laughed loudly, "Oh Mark, you're growing up."

The two exited the elevator and Arizona continued to walk toward her office with Mark still at her side, "So how is my Godson today?"

"He looks good. He seems to be getting his energy back. I woke up to him and Callie in a tickle war. He was laughing and Callie was laughing. It was nice to see him that happy," Arizona smiled as she talked.

"Do I see that, Dr. Arizona Robbins, who swore she never wanted kids, actually enjoying having one of them around?"

Arizona turned to look at Mark, "Maybe."

Mark questioned as he turned to leave Arizona, "Maybe? Too bad you couldn't have changed your mind five years ago."

Arizona sighed and slumped into her desk chair. Mark's comment stung. Five years ago when Callie brought up wanting children, Arizona didn't even try to look at her side of the argument. Arizona simply let Callie go instead of trying to work things out. Arizona couldn't help but think about what life could have been like for the last five years if she would have opened her mind up to the possibilities. Arizona's pager buzzed and brought her out of her thoughts and she headed out to find her patient.

* * *

Arizona's day was much busier than she expected but she was still able to get home right at 6 o'clock. She walked into her house and was greeted by a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. She walked toward the scent and saw Callie dancing in the kitchen while stirring sauce on the stove.

Arizona snuck up on Callie before making her presence known by wrapping her arm around Callie's waist and whispering in her ear, "Smells good."

Callie jumped when she felt someone touching her but quickly relaxed, "Thanks. How was work?"

Arizona jumped up to sit on the counter, "Busy. The usual." Arizona glanced around the kitchen, "Where's Jamie?"

"Bed. We went to the park today and that really wore him out."

"Park? That sounds fun."

"It was. I can't remember the last time he's gotten to go to the park. He was probably too young to even really enjoy it."

Arizona smiled, "So whatcha making? It smells an awful lot like your world famous chicken piccata."

"You might be onto something there, Robbins."

"Anything I can do?"

"Um. It's almost done. If you just want to grab some plates and drinks."

Arizona slipped off the counter and went to set the table.

* * *

As soon as they sat down at the table and started to eat, Jamie came racing down the stairs crying.

He jumped into his mother's lap and hugged her tightly. "Mama, I had a bad dream."

Callie wiped her son's tears away and began to console him. "I'm sorry, baby. I've got you now. You're safe. Want to try to go to sleep again?"

Jamie shook his head no, "The dream will just come back."

Arizona stood up and kneeled down by Jamie, "I get bad dreams all the time too, Jamie. Why don't I go show you my trick for making them go away. Would you like that?"

Jamie sniffled and nodded. Arizona picked Jamie up off of Callie's lap and took him upstairs. As they were walking up the stairs she whistled for Spot to come along. She knew that Spot would be able to help Jamie feel safe.

As they reached his room Arizona asked Jamie what his dreams were about.

Jamie frowned, "I dreamed about monsters. I was in the hospital and the monsters ate me."

"Well, I promise you there are no monsters here in the room. Let's look for them together?"

Arizona and Jamie looked over the entire bedroom. They opened the closet and looked through every drawer. Once Jamie was satisfied there were no monsters in the room he let Arizona tuck him into bed.

"Feel better?" Arizona asked as she pulled the covers over him.

Jamie nodded, "But what if they come back while I'm sleeping?"

Arizona called for Spot and put him in bed with Jamie, "Let me tell you a secret about Spot. He is more than just a dog. He is a superhero… like Batman and Spiderman. He will chase away any monsters that come into the room. You see how fast he fetches the ball outside? That is how fast he can chase down any monster and keep them away from you. Right, Spot?"

Spot just turned his head and snuggled into Jamie.

"Can you read me a story before you go, Ari?"

Arizona quickly grabbed Goodnight Moon and read it until she was sure the boy was asleep. When she got up to leave she noticed Callie leaning against the door frame.

Surprised to see her, Arizona questioned, "How long have you been there?"

"Awhile," Callie whispered.

The two headed downstairs when Callie mentioned, "I put the food in the oven so it should still be warm."

* * *

Callie and Arizona sat down to eat again and an awkward silence overcame the table.

"It's delicious. Thanks, Calliope," Arizona said as she ate another bite.

"You're very welcome. So… we need to talk," Callie said as she avoided looking at Arizona.

"Yeah."

"I just. Especially after tonight. I can't survive another broken heart because of you. I barely survived the last one. And Jamie really likes you and I don't want to see him get hurt too. So I need to know. Five years ago we broke up because you said you never wanted kids." Callie rambled, never looking up at Arizona.

Arizona grabbed Callie's hand across the table and interrupted her, "I know what I said, Callie. But it's not five years ago. But, even if you would have asked me a month ago I still would have said I never wanted kids."

Callie's face dropped and Arizona squeezed her hand, "But, now that I've gotten a second chance with you. I don't want to lose you again."

"What about Jamie?" Callie interrupted.

"I love Jamie. I never thought I was cut out to be a mom. But when I see Jamie…" Arizona paused and looked up at Callie, "When I see Jamie I wish I was there from the beginning. But I know that I can't go back. We can't change the past… what I can do is be apart of his life…and yours, from now on. If you want me to be."

Callie smiled at the blonde's words, "Are you sure? Especially with his medical issues?"

Arizona scooted closer to Callie, "I'm sure. It's only been two weeks but I don't want to be without you two ever again. Both of you. And like I said, who better to have around than the best pediatric surgeon this side of the US?"

Callie laughed, "And humble too."

Arizona smiled, "I know this doesn't fix everything. But I am in this… for good. I already lost you once. We've been apart for five years. We're two completely different people now, so I'd like to get to know you again. To get to know Jamie."

"We'll take things slow…" Callie interrupted.

"We can still kiss though, right?" Arizona asked.

"Of course," Callie giggled as she leaned in for a chaste kiss on the lips. "I do think that we should keep this from Jamie for awhile though. I have no idea how he's going to react to this."

"I understand. But, I think he realizes that something is going on. He's very perceptive," Arizona said as she kissed Callie. "Let me clean up here and then we can go to the living room."

Callie made an attempt to protest but Arizona quickly stopped her, "You cooked, I'll clean. Now go find something on the television."


	22. Chapter 22

******Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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The rest of the week passed by quickly.

Arizona was able to only work during the day and be home in time for dinner. Callie and Jamie spent their days at the park with Spot, watching movies, reading and playing with toys. Jamie was getting stronger and was awake most of the day. Callie would make sure dinner was ready when Arizona was home from work. The three sat around the dinner table trading stories about their days. Jamie always wanted to tell Arizona just how high he could swing at the park that day. After dinner, the three would settle into the couch and watch a movie together. Jamie would always pick a different animated feature film and Callie would roll her eyes in disgust but would secretly enjoy the film. Callie knew she only had to make it through the first half hour anyway, as Jamie would soon be asleep in her arms. After Jamie was tucked away in bed, Callie and Arizona were able to have some alone time. They'd put in a movie that was rated at least PG-13. Callie soon discovered after Arizona forced her to watch Twilight that just because it is rated PG-13 doesn't mean it is a very adult film. They would cuddle on the couch and even make out a little but neither woman made an attempt to push their relationship to the next level. They were enjoying where they were at.

After ten days of contentment, it was time to face reality. Jamie had to be checked back into the hospital for another five days of chemotherapy. The chemo would build on the last treatment and the side effects would be even worse after this round.

* * *

Callie woke Jamie up early on Thursday morning. Together they packed a bag

of his favorite toys and things he wanted to keep with him at the hospital. Arizona had already left for work but promised she would meet them once Jamie was settled in his room. Jamie was in a foul mood. He didn't want to go back to the hospital. He didn't want to be sick again. He refused to talk to Callie on the entire drive to the hospital and even once he was set up in his room. Jamie had most definitely inherited his mother's temper and stubbornness.

Arizona had just scrubbed out of surgery when she checked her watch and realized that Jamie had to be at the hospital at that point. She stopped by the coffee cart to grab something for herself and for Callie before heading up to see her favorite patient.

She lightly tapped on the door to Jamie's room and pushed it open. She found Jamie curled into a ball, facing away from his mother.

"Hey buddy," Arizona greeted Jamie.

Jamie sighed and turned so he wasn't facing Arizona either.

Callie rolled her eyes, "Sorry, someone's not in a very good mood today."

Arizona moved to sit on the foot of Jamie's bed and tickle his toes, "I would be either if I had to be stuck back here again." Arizona turned to speak to Jamie, "But you are so brave Jamie. I know you can do this. Plus, afterward, I promise there will be ice cream."

Jamie's stoic face started to break, "With sprinkles?"

Arizona nodded, "With sprinkles."

"What about Harry Potter? Will you read it to me tonight?"

"Of course. It is tradition after all." Arizona smiled and moved to sit on the couch next to Callie.

Callie smiled as Arizona sat closer to her, "How was your surgery this morning?"

"I rocked it." Arizona laughed as a nurse came in, signaling that it was time for Jamie to go get his treatment.

Callie stood up, "Got your game, Jamie?" Jamie nodded, he still wasn't speaking to his mother. "Alright, let's go then."

* * *

Jamie engrossed himself in his game while he received his treatment.

"He's not speaking to me," Callie said sadly to Arizona as they watched him.

Arizona took her hand, "He'll get over it. Just give him some more time. No one can stay mad at you for long."

Callie glanced at Arizona, "I hope so. It's breaking my heart."

The two continued to sit in silence as the IV dripped into Jamie's body.

* * *

A couple of hours later Jamie was back in his room, happily eating the ice cream that Arizona had promised him. Arizona had left to go take care of her patients but promised Jamie that she'd be back before he went to sleep.

Arizona finished her rounds and made her way to her office. She was tired after a long day at the hospital. She walked right into her office and sat behind her desk to start work on her charts when she finally noticed that she was not alone.

"What are you doing here?" Arizona questioned the uninvited guest.

"To check on my patient. The one you demanded I treat." Joanne stood up from the couch and walked toward Arizona, leaning back against the desk next to her. "That's not a proper greeting for an old friend who is doing you a favor." Joanne ran her hand down Arizona's arm.

Arizona pulled her arm away from Joanne's touch, "I just wasn't expecting you, Joanne. You weren't supposed to be here until next month."

"I figured we'd run some tests at the end of this treatment cycle. I wanted to be here for it."

"Well, the end of the cycle isn't for another week. You flew out a few days too early." Arizona said curtly, narrowing her eyes at the red head.

"I'm sure I'll come up with something to do to keep me busy until then." Joanne leaned down to whisper in Arizona's ear, "Dinner tonight?"

Arizona stood up and walked toward the door, leaving Joanne by her desk. "I already have plans. Sorry. Now if you don't mind, I need to get my work finished for the day."

Joanne dutifully walked toward the door but not before kissing Arizona on the cheek as she left, "Some other time then, Zone."

* * *

Arizona was furious at her former lover's audacity to come into her office and try to hit on her when she made it clear after her last visit that she wanted nothing to do with her. Arizona knew she needed to keep her calm for Jamie's sake. Jamie needed Joanne and Arizona knew that if she blew up at her, Joanne would stop treating Jamie.

Arizona tried to push her anger away and forget how Joanne touching her made her skin crawl. She wanted to finish with her charts in time to bring dinner to Callie and Jamie. She wanted to spend some time with him before he fell asleep for the night. She also couldn't let him go to bed without his bedtime story. She looked forward to reading to Jamie just as much, if not more, than the little boy.

* * *

Callie checked her watched and saw it was nearing dinner time. She quickly sent Arizona a text message to see if she planned on joining them. Arizona quickly responded and let her know that she would be there soon and was bringing food with her.

Callie put her phone down and turned toward Jamie who was engrossed in a video game. An hour before he had finally broke the silent treatment and asked his mom to set up his game system. She watched as he maneuvered his character through the game at record speed.

She was engrossed in watching the game that she didn't bother to look up when the door opened. Callie greeted the visitor, "Hey, Ari. Wow, that was really quick. I didn't expect you here so soon."

Joanne spoke up, "Sorry to disappoint."

Callie's eyes quickly looked up to see the tall, red head standing by the door. "Dr. Peters, I didn't expect you until next week."

"I had some free time and decided to come spend it in Seattle this week. That way I can better monitor the treatment." Joanne said as she grabbed Jamie's chart and began leafing through it. Joanne turned her attention to the little boy, "How are you feeling, James?"

Jamie huffed, "It's Jamie and I'd feel a lot better if I was at home with my dog."

Callie scolded Jamie, "James Torres! You're being rude. Apologize."

"Sorry, Dr. Peters." Jamie said quietly under his breath.

"That's okay. I understand his frustration." Joanne spoke.

Callie added, "It's hard on him to come back to the hospital after being home for a week."

Joanne questioned, "I didn't realize you guys went back to LA."

Jamie piped up, "No, we moved in with Dr. Ari. Her house is so cool. She even lets me keep the dog my Uncle Mark got me."

As Jamie spoke, Arizona entered the room carrying two bags full of food that blocked her vision. "I refuse to let Jamie eat hospital food tonight so I grabbed some takeout. I hope that's okay?" Callie grabbed a bag from Arizona and smiled. Arizona noticed her ex was in the room, "Dr. Peters, nice to see you again."

Joanne glared at Arizona, "So this was your big dinner date that you ditched me for?"

"I didn't ditch you. I told you I already had plans." Arizona turned her attention away from Joanne, "How are you feeling?"

Jamie held his arms open for a hug and Arizona leaned in. "Not so good, Ari. My tummy hurts."

Arizona frowned. "Do you think food will make your tummy feel better?"

Jamie shook his head no, "More ice cream might."

Callie interjected, "Maybe you can try a few bites of what Ari brought and then you can have ice cream, baby."

At the same time Mark and Addison both entered the room. "We were paged, told there was food."

"It's on the coffee table, Mark. Make sure to leave enough for the rest of us." Arizona reminded him.

Joanne made her way to exit the room before motioning for Callie to join her outside.

"You know, Dr. Torres, Jamie is going to be really sick this week. I'm not sure if having so many visitors is good for him. He's going to need his rest."

"Dr. Peters, I know you mean well, but Jamie also needs his family around him. And those people in that room, they are his family. We're all doctors. Trust us, we will make sure he gets his rest." Callie said firmly.

Joanne was taken aback. She had never been put in her place by a patient's family before. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Callie watched Joanne walk away before she re-entered the room and saw her family talking and laughing as they ate dinner.

* * *

Jamie's week of chemo treatment seemed to drag on. Joanne was right, he did get sicker. After two days of treatment, he spent all of his days throwing up or sleeping. Finally, Jamie made it to the last day of treatment for this cycle. Joanne met Callie, Jamie and to her surprise Arizona in the treatment room as he finished.

"I need to run some tests once we're done here," Joanne told Callie.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jamie yelled. He tried to jump off the bed and run away but Arizona caught him. She bent down, whispered into his ear and kissed him on the cheek. Jamie promptly sat back down on the bed and apologized for his behavior.

Callie and Joanne both sat in shock at the scene they watched play out between Arizona and Jamie.

After another five minutes, the IV bag was empty and Jamie was done with chemotherapy for another ten days. He stood up and hopped into the waiting wheelchair without complaint. Just as Joanne was about to wheel him out of the room, Dr. Karev walked into the room.

Arizona grabbed Joanne's arm and pulled her to the corner of the room, "Dr. Peters, Dr. Karev here is going to assist you with Jamie's tests today." Arizona told her former lover.

"I am perfectly fine by myself, Dr. Robbins."

"I know you are, but Jamie would be much more comfortable if Dr. Karev was there."

Joanne sighed as she walked back to Jamie. "Ready to go, Jamie?"

"We're ready, right Alex?" Jamie said as he looked up at the tall doctor.

Alex wheeled the little boy out of the room. "Let's go buddy."

* * *

After an hour, Jamie and Alex arrived back to his hospital room. Callie had spent the hour packing his things, ready to take her son back home.

"Can we go home now, Mama?" Jamie questioned as he entered the room.

"We can't go until Dr. Peters says so." Callie replied.

Alex picked Jamie up and put him on the bed, "Dr. Peters wants to meet with you in Dr. Robbins' office." Alex looked toward Jamie, "Don't worry, I'll stay here. We have an episode of Bob the Builder to watch."

Callie kissed Jamie on the head, "Be right back, baby."

Callie speed walked through the familiar hallways until she reached Arizona's office. She wasn't sure what Joanne wanted to meet with her about. She could only assume it was bad news. She wasn't used to hearing positive news in a meeting with her son's doctors. She took a moment to compose herself before entering the room.

"Hey," Callie spoke softly as she entered the room.

Arizona made her way to Callie's side and took her hand, "Hey."

Joanne cleared her throat, "I have the results from the tests we did today."

"Is the tumor growing back? I knew the chemo wouldn't work." Callie interrupted, immediately going to negative thoughts.

Joanne stopped her from going any further, "No, no. Nothing shows that the tumor is growing back. But I do think that we need to be more aggressive with the next chemotherapy treatment. He's handling the chemo pretty well so I think he would do well with a stronger dosage. It will help to ensure the cancer doesn't come back. I've done a lot of research using this in patients and it has a much higher success rate. And I'll be here personally to oversee it."

Callie turned to look at Arizona, silently asking for her opinion. Arizona squeezed Callie's hand, "I think it is worth a try, Calliope. We can always go back to the original plan if the higher dosage is too much for Jamie. We really need something strong to knock the cancer out of his body for good this time."

Callie rubbed her forehead and sighed, "Okay, we'll do it."

Joanne smiled, "Okay. I'll see you guys next week to get started then."

Joanne left the office but not before standing outside the door and witnessing Arizona pull Callie in for a tight hug. Joanne thought to herself as she watched, 'Next week, I'll be here all the time. I'll make sure you lose Callie. I'm going to win you back, Zona.'


	23. Chapter 23

******Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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It had been a little over two weeks since Callie and Arizona officially renewed their relationship. Due to trying to keep their relationship away from Jamie's eyes, their time together amounted to stolen hugs and kisses when he wasn't looking and time on the couch after Jamie went to bed. They wanted to take things in their new relationship slowly, but the turtle's pace was secretly killing both Callie and Arizona. Neither one would speak up to the other, but each wanted to rip the clothes off the other.

One morning, a few days after they brought Jamie home again, Arizona had the early shift and had to leave for work well before dawn, she walked downstairs to grab some coffee before heading out when she was startled by Jamie's presence on the couch watching cartoons.

"What are you doing up so early, little guy?" Arizona questioned, sitting next to him on the couch.

"I couldn't sleep any longer." Jamie said, looking tired.

"Monsters again?" Arizona asked while stroking Jamie's back. Jamie nodded. "Why didn't you wake up your Mama? Or me?" Jamie shrugged his shoulders. Arizona glanced at her watch and decided she could be late, "Come on, let's go check for monsters and get you back to bed for a few more hours."

After carefully searching the room and a quick story Jamie was ready to go back to sleep. Arizona said good night and started to leave when she heard Jamie, "I love you, Ari."

Arizona stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. She went back to Jamie's bedside and sat down next to him. "I love you too, Jamie." Arizona said as she kissed his forehead.

Jamie looked at Arizona with his big brown eyes, "Ari? Do you love Mama too?"

Arizona smiled, "Yes, I love her too."

"Ari, can I tell you a secret?" Jamie asked.

Arizona nodded.

"I saw you and Mama kissing in the hospital when you thought I was asleep."

Arizona frowned and whispered, "Oh."

Jamie noticed her frown and quickly spoke up, "It's okay. I like it because she smiles more now. She never smiled or laughed this much back home. I like hearing her laugh."

"I do too," Arizona said as she tucked the covers under him, "But she's not going to be happy if she finds out you were up all night. So go to sleep. I'll see you when I get home from work." Arizona gave him another kiss on the head and headed out the door.

As Arizona drove to work she thought about what Jamie said. She needed to talk to Callie. She needed to tell Callie that Jamie saw them. She hoped that this meant that they could stop hiding from Jamie. Arizona also knew that no matter how many times she told Callie she wanted Jamie in her life, that a little part of Callie still didn't believe her. Arizona needed to find a way to make the lovely Latina believe her words.

* * *

Arizona had a long day of surgeries and was more than happy to leave the hospital and make her way home. She walked in the house and was swiftly greeted by Spot, who was quickly followed by Jamie.

"Hi Ari!" Jamie squealed as Arizona bent down to tickle him.

"Did you have a good day?" Arizona questioned.

"It was boring. It won't stop raining and we can't go to the park if it's raining!" Jamie lamented.

"You better get used to the rain, Jamie. It's not going anywhere."

"I don't wanna get used to it! I want to go to the park!" Jamie cried.

Callie walked into the room just in time to see her son crying, "Don't worry, he's been cranky all day."

"I have not been cranky," Jamie pouted while sinking into the couch.

"James, if you don't stop pouting, you're going to go to bed early tonight and no video games." Callie said sternly while staring at her son. "Now dinner is almost ready, so go wash your hands."

Jamie ran out of the room and Callie turned toward Arizona. "I don't know what has gotten into him today."

"I think he's just tired," Arizona said as she walked toward the dining room. "He was awake when I went into work this morning, he had a bad dream. It looked like he had been up all night. I put him back to bed before I left…"

Callie interrupted, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I didn't think I needed to… he went back to bed and was almost asleep when I left."

"Arizona, he's my son. You should have woken me up," Callie continued until she saw that Jamie was walking toward the room.

Arizona could see that Callie was getting upset and made a move to change the subject, "We'll talk about this later but right now, what smells so good?"

* * *

Knowing that Jamie had been up all night the night before, Callie made sure that he went to bed early that night. Callie sent him to start getting ready for bed while she helped Arizona clean up after dinner.

Arizona put the dishes in the sink and moved next to Callie who was putting leftovers in the fridge. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you up. From now on, I will."

Callie turned around and leaned against the refrigerator, "I'm sorry I got so mad about it. It's just been a really long day, especially with Jamie's attitude today."

Arizona leaned forward onto Callie's body. Callie immediately opened her arms to wrap around the blonde. Arizona shifted so she was looking at Callie, "There's something else."

Callie brushed Arizona's hair out of her face, "What?"

"When I put him to bed, he asked me if he could tell me a secret. Of course, I said yes. He said that he saw us kissing one night last week at the hospital – when we thought he was asleep."

Callie stood up and released her hold on Arizona, "Really? We were so careful."

"He seemed fine by it all. He said he liked seeing you smile and laughing."

Callie smiled, "I guess I should talk to him about this before bed. I don't know what to say to him."

"I think Jamie might surprise you. He's very smart and knows more than we think."

"Okay, time to go face the music," Callie said as she headed to walk upstairs, "You coming? You do owe him a chapter of Harry Potter."

Arizona smiled as she followed Callie up the stairs.

* * *

Callie entered her son's bedroom and found Jamie ready and waiting in bed with Harry Potter already open to the page that Arizona left off on the night before.

"I'm ready for bed!" Jamie squealed as he shoved the book into Arizona's hands.

"Not so fast, baby. I want to talk to you first," Callie stated as she moved Jamie onto her lap. "I want to talk to you about the secret you told Ari this morning."

Jamie rolled his eyes and turned to glare at Arizona, "Ari! I said it was a secret!"

Arizona threw up her hands in defense and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Jamie. He was so much like Callie when he was mad.

Callie resumed her conversation with Jamie, "Are you okay with what you saw?"

Jamie shrugged, "Yeah. I like Ari."

"So you would be okay if you saw more of that?"

Jamie scrunched his nose, "Kissing is icky. But if you want to be icky you can."

Arizona giggled and Callie glared at her wanting to continue her serious conversation, "So you're really okay with this?"

Jamie sighed, "Mom, I'm not a baby. I watch TV. I see people kissing and hugging all the time." Jamie turned to look at Arizona, "Now can we please read?"

Arizona looked to Callie who nodded, "Okay, where did we leave off. Oh yes, chapter 10…"

* * *

Callie and Arizona both flopped onto the couch after Jamie was put to bed.

"What are you thinking?" Arizona asked as she pulled Callie closer to her.

Callie sighed, "Just wondering when my baby grew up."

Arizona nuzzled Callie's neck, "I think you've still got 14 more years before he's all grown up."

"I know, he's just not my baby anymore."

"Are you not there when he's sick after his chemo? All he wants is for you to hold him. He's still your baby."

"I guess. You're right."

Arizona chuckled, "Have you finally learned that I'm always right?"

"And awesome too, if I remember correctly."

Arizona leaned up for a kiss, "And awesome too."

Callie smiled and mumbled into another kiss, "So I guess we can do this more often after today."

Arizona responded by pulling Callie into a deeper kiss and straddling her thighs. Callie ran her hands up and down Arizona's spine while Arizona was nibbling on her neck. All of the sexual tension that had been building over the past weeks was culminating and Callie and Arizona were desperate to be closer to each other. Arizona quickly stripped Callie of her shirt and pushed her back so that she was laying on the couch. Hovering over Callie, Arizona began trailing kisses across her neck and chest.

"I've really missed you," Arizona mumbled as she made her way toward Callie's breasts.

Callie moaned at the contact, "I've really missed you too."

Arizona's hands were making quick work with Callie's jeans when she heard an all too familiar buzzing coming from the coffee table.

"Fuck me," Arizona groaned. "Clearly, I am never going to get past 2nd base."

Callie leaned up and pulled Arizona into a passionate kiss, "Go save lives. Come say goodnight when you get home."

Arizona begrudgingly made her way into the hospital. She walked up to the nurses' station to see why she was paged in. The nurse on duty had no idea why Arizona was paged and no one around made any claim to the page either. Arizona quickly looked over all the charts for her patients and saw that no one was in any sort of distress. She decided to stop by her office before she headed out. She had the next day off and wanted to grab a case file to do some research from home.

* * *

Arizona opened her office door was cracked open. She figured a resident or intern must have forgotten to close the door. She quickly made her way through the dark office to her desk where the file was located. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness but she still couldn't read the name she was looking for. Arizona switched on her desk lamp and with the light in the room she jumped at the sight of an intruder.

"I was wondering when you'd notice I was here."

"What the hell are you doing here Joanne? You scared the shit out of me." Arizona growled at the redhead.

"I told you I'd be back this week to oversee Jamie Torres' chemo."

"It's 11PM Joanne, why are you here and Jamie doesn't start chemo again for a few more days," Arizona paused, "It was you. You paged me in?"

"Don't be so mad, Zone. I just wanted to see you." Joanne stated as she moved to be closer to Arizona.

"You can't just page me 911 when there is no emergency. If you wanted to see me, you could wait until normal working hours."

"But during work hours there are too many people around," Joanne moved to stand right in front of Arizona. She moved her hand to brush stray hairs out off of Arizona's shoulder. "I couldn't do this with other people around," Joanne said right before she captured Arizona's lips with hers.

Arizona immediately pushed Joanne off of her, "Don't touch me Joanne. This is a professional relationship only."

Joanne gave a sly smile and moved back and headed for the office door, "Okay, Zone. Don't admit that you liked that. I'll see you soon."

* * *

Arizona sighed as she watched Joanne leave her office. She couldn't believe the redhead had the nerve to kiss her after everything they had been through. Arizona shook all the thoughts of Joanne out of her head, grabbed the file she was looking for and headed home. If she was lucky, Callie would still be awake and maybe they could pick up where they left off before the offending pager went off.

Arizona walked into a dark house. All the lights were out and the living room was empty. Callie must have already gone to bed. Arizona made her way to her own bedroom and quickly got ready for bed. Instead of getting under the covers in her own bed she tiptoed down the hall to Callie's room. She cracked the door and peeked in to see the Latina sleeping soundly.

Arizona debated entering the room but she remembered that Callie did tell her to come say goodnight. She quietly padded into the room and slipped into the bed behind Callie. Arizona wrapped her left arm around Callie and pulled her closer. She brushed the hair off of Callie's shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on her neck.

Callie stirred under the blonde's touch, "Mmm. That didn't take long."

Arizona sighed into Callie's neck, "Long story but everything is okay." Arizona didn't want to get into the whole story, she wanted to enjoy being close to Callie and bringing up her ex's name in bed probably wouldn't be a good idea. "You look tired," she told a groggy Callie.

"Mmmhmmm," Callie murmured as she turned to lay on her back.

Arizona gazed adoringly at the sleepy Latina, "Go back to sleep. I'm off tomorrow so maybe we could go out for breakfast."

"Stay," Callie asked quietly.

"I'd love to stay, Calliope, but I don't think that's a good idea. Just because Jamie knows about us now doesn't mean he'll understand if he wakes up and finds us in bed together."

Callie rolled over to face Arizona and began to kiss her jawline, "Just for a little bit. Until I fall asleep again?"

Arizona couldn't resist Callie's pout but needed her to stop kissing her or else she really wouldn't leave for the night, "Okay, roll over and let me hold you."

Arizona stayed and held Callie until she felt her fall asleep. She wished she could stay all night but knew that it really wasn't a good idea just yet, but hopefully soon.

* * *

Callie woke up to the sun coming in through her window. She rolled over in bed and reached out only to feel cold sheets next to her. Callie groaned upon realizing that Arizona must have gone to her own bed at some point in the night.

Since the sun was out, a rare occurrence this time of year for Seattle, Callie decided to take advantage of the daylight and she slipped out of bed. After getting dressed for the day she went to her son's room and found him still peacefully asleep. Her next stop was the master bedroom where she hoped to catch Arizona still sleeping.

She cracked the door open and saw a pillow covered in blonde hair. Callie smiled and decided that Jamie looked like he was out for a little while longer so why not spend some time with Arizona in bed. She tiptoed toward the bed and quietly got under the covers, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty. Callie cuddled up next to Arizona's back, breathing in her scent. Callie couldn't help but let out a groan of appreciation.

"That better be Callie who is violating me this early in the morning," Arizona groaned sleepily.

"Who else would it be?" Callie replied sarcastically.

"Mmm…you know Addison likes to cuddle too." Callie's mouth gaped open. Arizona turned around and kissed her so she would close her mouth. "Oh, Calliope, stop. You know I'm kidding."

Callie smiled, "I know, I just wanted you to kiss me."

Arizona leaned in for another kiss this one more passionate than the first, "Good morning."

"Good morning, beautiful." Callie mumbled while nipping at Arizona's neck.

Arizona sighed, "Calliope, you better stop. Jamie's going to be awake any second."

Callie flopped on her back, "Fine. You win. I'm going to go make breakfast."

* * *

By the time Callie had breakfast made both Jamie and Arizona were showered and ready for the day. The three moved outside to play with Spot.

"It's a really pretty day out," Arizona said while watching Jamie play with Spot. "It's a perfect day for swinging, don't you think Calliope?"

"Swinging?" Callie choked on her coffee.

Arizona nodded her head quickly, "Yes, swinging. I always beat my brother at a contest for who could go higher on the swings. You have a dirty, dirty mind Torres."

Callie smiled, "I like swinging. And I bet I can go higher than you."

Jamie and Spot ran up to Callie, both out of breath and panting. "Did I hear you talk about swinging? Can we go to the park? Please, Mama! Please!"

Callie rolled her eyes at her over enthusiastic son, "If we go to the park, then you have to take a nap when we get back. Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

"You so cheated," Callie cried.

"Calliope, I don't see how it is possible to cheat at swinging. Just accept the fact that I am better than you." Arizona responded as they walked to a nearby bench.

Callie grabbed Arizona's hand as they sat down, "This has been a really good day."

Arizona leaned in for a kiss, "I think you mean a really great day."

Callie pulled back and turned to watch her son playing on the monkey bars, "He seems really happy."

"He is," Arizona said as she tucked a loose curl behind Callie's ear. "As his doctor I really shouldn't allow all this playing on monkey bars business but I'll pretend I didn't see it."

Callie chuckled at the blonde, "Well, we wouldn't want him getting into trouble with his doctors."

Arizona leaned her head on Callie's shoulder as they sat in silence watching Jamie play on the monkey bars. The little boy was laughing and smiling as he played. His eyes were wide with excitement as he flew down the slide. Callie and Arizona sat and watched him with wonder. Right before they were about to return to the house Arizona's pager went off.

"You have got to be kidding me?" Arizona cried as she glanced at the offending piece of plastic.

Callie turned to look at the blonde, "I thought you weren't on call today."

"I'm not," Arizona huffed. "I know exactly who is behind this. I didn't want to tell you about this last night but it was Joanne that paged me in last night."

Callie raised her eyebrows and Arizona continued, "She… uh… she kissed me. And I pushed her off of me. I really wanted to smack her but I didn't want to jeopardize her involvement with Jamie's case. We really need her."

Callie clenched her fists in anger at the thought of Joanne touching her girlfriend, or whatever Arizona is to Callie. "What are you going to do about her?"

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to push her too far but she really needs to stop."

Callie brushed back Arizona's hair and rested her hands on the blonde's shoulders, "Yeah she does, I want to punch her myself. No one is allowed to touch you but me."

Arizona blushed at the comment, "I'm going to put a stop to this. She keeps interrupting our time together. I'm not going to be long. I promise." With a quick kiss goodbye Arizona headed back to the house to get her car and get to the hospital.

* * *

For the second time in 24 hours Arizona arrived at the hospital to find the person who dared to page her on her day off. She went straight to her office, knowing that is where Joanne would be waiting for her.

Arizona flung the door open and started yelling before she even entered the room, "What is it this time, Dr. Peters?"

Joanne was sitting in Arizona's large desk chair wearing nothing but her skimpy underwear underneath her lab coat. Arizona's eyes went wide when she saw her nearly naked ex-girlfriend. "See something you like, Zone?"

"Joanne, this has to stop!" Arizona yelled as she turned around to face the wall. "I do not want you like that."

Joanne stood up from the chair and slipped back into her dress. "Fine, I'll be on the next plane out. Hope your precious girlfriend's son lives to see Christmas."

Arizona gritted her teeth, "You can't leave him. You promised me you'd help."

"If you want my help, you have to help me too."

"When did you become such a bitch?" Arizona questioned. "You'd really let a precious little boy suffer because I don't want to have sex with you?"

"It sounds so bad and manipulative when you put it that way, Zone."

Arizona raised her eyebrows, "When I put it what way?"

"When you say that I won't treat the boy unless you have sex with me." Joanne stated calmly.

"But that's what you're doing, right?"

"Arizona, I know you're blonde but you really need me to explain this to you again. Yes, unless you have sex with me, I'm not going to treat James Torres."

Arizona smirked, "Good. That's all I needed to hear."


	24. Chapter 24

******Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

******A/N: Super long chapter in honor of premiere day! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapters!**

****

* * *

Callie stormed into the room, "I got here as quickly as I could. I had to take Jamie to Addison and Mark's." Callie paused as she looked around the conference room and saw the room filled with various hospital administrators, Derek the Chief, Dr. Joanne Peters and Arizona, "What's going on?"

Callie shifted uncomfortably as she took a seat next to Arizona. Arizona made no move to explain the situation to Callie. Callie reached out to grab Arizona's hand as Derek began to speak.

"Dr. Torres, we have a bit of a situation here. It seems that Dr. Peters here has forgotten the oath she took when she became a doctor. She threatened to withhold Jamie's treatment unless Dr. Robbins had relations with her." Derek stated calmly as he walked toward the sound system and hit play. The room filled with the sounds of Joanne and Arizona's conversation from earlier. Unbeknownst to Joanne, Arizona had set up her iphone in her purse to record the whole conversation.

As the exchange finished the hospital lawyers stepped up to speak. They laid out several options – including options for criminal charges to be filed, nothing to be done or for Joanne's medical license to be suspended. In the end, the room decided that it was up to Callie and Arizona as what to do for the situation.

Derek looked at Arizona and Callie, "We're going to leave you two alone to discuss this. We need an answer by the end of today." Derek was almost out the door when he paused, "Oh and Callie, we're bringing in an oncologist from the Mayo clinic to take over Jamie's case. He was Joanne's mentor so he knows his stuff."

* * *

Callie flopped her head on the table as Arizona rubbed circles on her back whispering into her ear, "I'm sorry I ever invited her here. I didn't know she was some psycho. You think you know a person. I mean, I was with her for three years and I never saw this side of her before."

Callie lifted her head up to rest on her arm, "It's not your fault, Ari. You couldn't have known." Callie used her right arm to pull Arizona's chair closer to her, "That was really smart of you recording your conversation with her."

"I wasn't going to have her tormenting me for the rest of Jamie's treatments," Arizona smiled, "And I sure as hell wasn't going to sleep with her."

Callie placed a soft kiss on Arizona's lips. She pulled back looking into Arizona bright blue eyes, "So what do you want to do?"

"I don't want her to go to jail," Arizona stared into Callie's eyes, "But she needs to be punished. So I think we should report her to the medical board and see what they do to her." Arizona sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "I never want to see her again."

"Neither do I," Callie replied, "because if I do, I might punch her and that would be a really bad example to set for Jamie."

Arizona and Callie erupted in laughter over the situation. "Come on, Ari. Let's go tell Derek what we want to do." Callie leaned down as if she was going to kiss Arizona but pulled back at the last second and moved to Arizona's ear and whispered in a low voice, "Then, I'm going to take you home, order pizza and finally get into your pants. Is that okay with you?"

Arizona was left speechless at Callie's words. She quickly nodded her head yes and pulled Callie out into the hall to find Derek so they could go home.

* * *

Callie flopped on her back in the bed. She was panting and trying to catch her breath. She rolled onto her side and gazed adoringly at the naked blonde next to her. "That was amazing."

Arizona turned to face the brunette, "Yeah, it was." Arizona opened her arms, signaling that she wanted Callie closer. Callie got the hint and moved so that the blonde was holding her. Arizona stroked Callie's hair, "I could get used to this."

Callie turned her head and leaned up for a kiss, "So could I. You know Jamie's spending the night at Mark's so we could do this again and again and again…"

* * *

After hours of rediscovering each other's bodies, Callie fell asleep quickly in Arizona's arms. However, Arizona couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing. She decided to go for a run to help to clear her head. She quietly slipped out from underneath Callie, careful not to wake her.

Arizona knew she loved Callie. She never stopped loving the Latina bombshell. She was also pretty sure that Callie still loved her. They had only renewed their relationship a month ago but it felt like they were never apart. Arizona had to know what she was to Callie. Was she her girlfriend? Neither one dared to use that word yet. Arizona knew that neither she nor Callie was seeing anyone else but they hadn't made it official yet. In all honesty, Arizona wanted to be more than just Callie's girlfriend but she knew they had to take things slow.

As her feet continued to pound the pavement Arizona's thoughts drifted toward the ring that she never got rid of after the breakup. The ring that she bought on a whim because she saw it in a shop window and knew Callie would love it even if it was too soon to propose. So she hid it and kept it for the right moment. The right moment never came. After the breakup, Arizona couldn't bring herself to let it go, so it stayed hidden in a pair of fluffy socks. Arizona smiled as she thought about the hidden ring, she knew that eventually she would give it to her lover but for now she just wanted to make her her girlfriend.

* * *

While Arizona was out running Callie woke up to a cold, empty spot where Arizona should have been. Callie got up and searched the house for the blonde. She found her purse and pager still sitting on the counter and in the garage her car was still parked so Callie knew that the blonde couldn't be far.

'We just had the best sex of my life and she ran out. Was it not good for her? No, there is no way she was faking that. Why would she just leave?' Callie thought to herself as she waited for Arizona to show up.

A half an hour later the front door opened and a sweaty Arizona entered the house. She headed straight to the kitchen as she really needed a glass of water. As she reached for a glass she noticed that Callie was sitting at the bar.

"Where'd you go?" Callie asked.

"Oh hey," Arizona replied after getting over being startled, "I couldn't sleep so I just went for a run. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up when I left."

"Why'd you leave? And don't tell me it is because you couldn't sleep because I know you only run when you have something on your mind and you need to work it out."

Arizona continued to gulp down her water while Callie continued, "I mean, is it about us? Was it not good for you? Did you decide that you don't want me anymore? You don't want me and Jamie?"

Arizona almost choked on her water. She couldn't believe the conclusions Callie was jumping to. Arizona moved to sit by Callie, "Calliope, stop. Look at me," Arizona lifted Callie's head so that their eyes met, "Baby, tonight was amazing. Really, really awesome."

"Then why did you run out?"

"Because I was scared," It was Arizona's turn to look down and break eye contact. All she wanted to do was to ask Callie to be her girlfriend but seeing Callie so upset she knew she had to fess up to more than just that.

"What could you possibly be scared about, Arizona?" Callie asked as she looked at her lovingly.

Still staring at the counter Arizona worked up the courage to tell Callie what she was feeling. "Because I love you. And I know it is way too early in our relationship to say that. I mean, I don't even know if you are my girlfriend and here I am telling you that I love you. So I freaked out and went for a run which I should do more of, not because I have something on my mind but because I learned tonight that I am really out of shape."

Callie smiled and lifted Arizona's head so that she could capture her mouth. "You're a moron, you know that? Of course you're my girlfriend. And with our history, it is not too early to say anything. Okay?"

Arizona nodded her head, "Okay." Arizona was now more scared than before because Callie didn't reciprocate her feelings of love.

Callie looked Arizona up and down taking in her sweaty state, "Well, now that you are all sweaty from your run I think you need a shower. And I think that you might need some help with that."

"Oh really? I might need help?" Arizona arched her eyebrows at Callie.

Callie licked her lips, "Uh huh. Here let me start by helping you out of those clothes." Callie got closer to Arizona from behind and slipped her hands underneath Arizona's top and nuzzled her neck. Callie was nibbling Arizona's ear as she whispered, "And Ari?"

"Hmm?" Arizona mumbled.

"I love you too."

Arizona spun around in Callie's arms and began kissing Callie. In between kisses she managed to get out, "You are so going to pay for making me think that you weren't going to say it back."

Callie smiled and pulled Arizona upstairs toward the master bathroom, "I can't wait."

* * *

Time passed by quickly and it was soon time for Jamie to be re-admitted to the hospital for his chemotherapy. This time his dosage was going to be higher which meant that the side effects would be harsher. Because of all the changes to his chemo regimen it was expected that his stay in the hospital would be much longer than normal. Callie had chosen not to share this fact with Jamie. She didn't want to deal with the surly attitude that it would surely create.

While Callie wanted to be there for Jamie as much as possible she couldn't help but worry about what taking so much time off from work was doing to her finances. Not to mention all of the medical bills that were adding up.

After Callie came out to her parents, they tried to understand and accept her change in sexual orientation but when she chose to bring a child into the world, her parents could no longer accept the fact that their grandchild would be subjected to a gay lifestyle. Soon after she became pregnant her parents told her goodbye for the last time. Every month Callie mailed her family pictures of herself and her life with Jamie. She never heard a reply. After the first time her father shut off her trust fund, Callie learned to live without the money. But sitting in the hospital with her sick child she thought about how much she could really use that money.

Since Callie would be spending all of her time in the hospital for the next few weeks she went to Derek to propose that he utilize her services. They worked out a deal that would allow her to work and still have plenty of time to spend with Jamie. With her hospital family, she knew that Jamie would never be alone anyway – someone would always be with him when Callie was treating a patient.

A routine soon formed among Callie, Arizona and the rest of the staff. Whenever anyone had a break they could usually be found in Jamie's room. They read him books, played video games or simply watched him sleep.

* * *

Arizona could tell that Jamie's latest treatment was not only kicking Jamie's butt but also Callie's. She hated that Callie had to work in her free time because of all the medical bills. She hated that she hadn't won the lottery so that she could take care of Callie and Jamie. But Arizona hated Mr. and Mrs. Torres most of all. How could parents disown their own child? How could they not love Jamie? How could they ignore their sick grandchild who almost died?

Arizona took matters into her own hands. She had Mark snoop and find the address for Mr. and Mrs. Torres in Miami. She spoke with Derek and arranged to take two days off and was going to go down in person and give Callie's parents a piece of her mind. She also worked it out with Derek that he would be her cover story – that there was a conference that Arizona had to attend. The one thing that Arizona hated most was lying. She knew Callie hated liars too. But Arizona had to keep this a secret in case her plan didn't work. If she told Callie and it didn't work it would only cause her girlfriend more harm than good.

* * *

Arizona walked into Jamie's room and saw her two favorite people curled up on the bed reading.

They were so into their book that they didn't notice the blonde enter the room. "You better not be reading Harry Potter without me."

Jamie's eyes brightened when he heard Arizona's voice, "No way. I'm waiting for you to start the next book!"

Arizona smiled and sat next to him, "Good. But you're going to have to wait a few days. I have to go out of town for a conference. I promise once I'm back we'll start book 2 – even if it is the worst book of the series."

Callie shot Arizona a questioning glance but didn't say anything. She went back to reading to Jamie until he fell asleep.

Callie moved to cuddle on the couch with Arizona, "You really have to go to a conference in the middle of his treatment?"

Callie was giving Arizona her best sad look, "I'm sorry but if you haven't forgotten I am awesome and I need to spread my awesomeness to other less fortunate peds surgeons."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. And I'll only be gone 2 days. I'll barely be gone and then I'll be back again," Arizona said trying to cheer Callie up.

"That's still two too many days without you," Callie still pouted.

Arizona leaned in to whisper, "I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back."

Arizona's words seemed to appease Callie, "I'll be holding you to that."

* * *

The first thing Arizona noticed when she stepped off the airplane was the stickiness. It might rain a lot in Seattle but the humidity of Florida was outrageous. Just stepping outside and being covered in a mist was disgusting. Arizona would choose the damp Seattle weather over muggy Miami any day.

Arizona found her rental car and immediately headed to the Torres' residence. She spent her entire six hour flight figuring out what she was going to say to them but now as she was almost to their house all of her thoughts seemed to go out of her head. She came armed with pictures and videos of Callie and Jamie, she hoped that seeing their sick grandchild would make them come to their senses.

Arizona was taken aback when she arrived at the address she found in Callie's phone. She knew the family was wealthy but she didn't expect this mansion. It was bigger than any of the Microsoft Mansions in Seattle. It literally took her breath away.

Once she gathered her wits she headed to the door, bit the bullet and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes of waiting, Arizona was about to turn back to her car. As she turned away the door flung open and a matronly woman appeared. 'This has to be Calliope's mother,' Arizona thought.

"Hello?" the woman spoke trying to get the blonde's attention.

"Hi. My name is Arizona Robbins and I'm looking for Mrs. Torres," Arizona stumbled to get the words out.

"Well, you found her. I'm Maria Torres."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am. I'm a friend of Calliope's."

Maria stood in shock, "You… you know my Calliope?"

Arizona nodded her head yes as Maria grabbed her hand and walked her into the house.

* * *

Maria led Arizona to the living room and went to get some tea. She returned with two cups and a lot of questions for Arizona.

"So why are you here, Arizona Robbins friend of Calliope?" Maria questioned.

Arizona glanced at her tea cup and set it aside, "I'm really bad with authority figures, Mrs. Torres. And you, are an authority figure to me. So please, ignore me if I start to cry. I'm just warning you now. But, I'm not going to sugarcoat what I have to say. I'm here to wonder how two parents can ignore their daughter and grandson, especially when their grandson was deathly ill."

Maria Torres was shocked by the words coming out of the mouth of her guest. She stood up and immediately started shouting in Spanish.

"Now I see where Calliope gets it," Arizona muttered under her breath.

Arizona's muttering seemed to break Maria's trance.

She sat down next to the blonde, "I… I had no idea. I have a grandson?"

Arizona couldn't believe that Maria didn't have a clue about Jamie. Arizona immediately began to tell Maria about Callie's recent history. Maria listened intently as she informed her of Jamie's cancer and recovery.

Maria sat in shock as Arizona finished. "Carlos, he never told me. I was so happy when he accepted Calliope back into our lives after the first time. But then one day he came home from work and said that she was no longer our daughter." Maria paused as she took in Arizona's disgusted expression, "I know it must seem horrible to you, but I was raised to respect and be a servant to my husband. I couldn't go against him. But now… now I have a grandson."

Arizona butted in, "Calliope told me that she mailed photos to you guys every month and never received a response."

"Carlos, he must have intercepted those too. Do you have any?" Maria asked.

Arizona reached into her bag and pulled out all the pictures she stealthily grabbed from Callie's things, "Here. I've only known Jamie for the last few months so I don't have any stories to tell about the pictures."

Maria took her time and looked at each picture. She saw the happiness in her daughter's eyes. Then she got to the pictures of when Jamie was sick. Maria had tears in her eyes as she saw the pain in her daughter's eyes and the sight of her grandson looking so ill.

Arizona saw the pain well up in Maria's eyes. She reached out and laid her hand atop the woman's. "Calliope thinks you abandoned her. I think she would really like to know that you didn't."

Maria put the pictures aside, "I don't know what to do. I mean, Carlos…"

"I love your daughter. I love your grandson. They both need you in their lives. Jamie's in the hospital receiving chemotherapy and instead of being by her son's side every second of the day, she is having to see other patients and perform surgeries because Jamie's medical bills are outrageous. Instead of being there to hold his hand while he is sick she's taking care of strangers. People automatically assume that doctors don't have to deal with health insurance, but we do. And they don't pay for everything – especially experimental treatments," Arizona rambled, wanting to appeal to Maria's maternal side.

Maria stood up and walked toward the window, "I am going to hurt him for hurting my Calliope like this."

Arizona and Maria stayed silent for many minutes until Maria heard the front door open. "Oh dios mio, he's home. Let me apologize in advance for him."

"Maria. I'm home. What's for dinner?" Carlos bellowed through the house. He walked into the living room and stared silently at the blonde woman he recognized from years before. "What is she doing here?"

Maria walked toward Carlos, with pictures in her hand, "She is here to tell me that our grandson, the one that you never told me about, almost died of cancer." Maria shoved the pictures into Carlos' chest and began ranting at him in Spanish.

Arizona sat and watched the two yell back and forth in Spanish. She could make out every few words. She even heard her own name come up a few times. The fighting continued and Arizona didn't know what to do. She debated if she should get up and leave or if she should speak up and interrupt the bickering. She ultimately decided to just continue to sit there silently. She had zoned out when she felt the couch she was sitting on shift. Carlos was now sitting next to her.

"I love my daughter," he stated. "The thing about children is that they grow up and they make their own decisions. Decisions that you as a parent might not agree with. It is not a secret that I don't agree with Calliope's decisions. And I really don't agree with her decision to bring a child into her life. Which is why I made the decision to cut her off years ago." Carlos paused while he handed Arizona a stack of envelopes all addressed from Callie to her parents. They were all unopened. "I never opened these. If I had known he was sick, I would have done everything in my power to help. That doesn't excuse my behavior."

Arizona handed Maria the envelopes who began to tear into them. Arizona started to speak before she was interrupted by Carlos, "My wife here has just told me that she would leave me if I didn't make amends with Calliope. I don't know how to do that. I love her and I know I will love my grandson but I still don't agree with her lifestyle choices. I don't know if I can ever accept that. What I do know is that after forty years, that I cannot live without my beautiful wife. So, I will do whatever it takes to make her happy." Carlos turned to look at Maria who was scowling at him, "I have a lot of making up to do and it's going to start with Calliope. I'm going to need your help, Arizona."

Arizona was shocked at the words coming out of Carlos' mouth. She didn't know what to think. She was happy that he was going to try to fix things with Callie but she was still unhappy that he wasn't going to fully accept his daughter. 'These things take time,' Arizona thought to herself, 'He will come around eventually.'

* * *

Maria invited Arizona to stay for dinner. She spent the whole dinner asking Arizona questions about Callie and Jamie. They also discussed the best way to fix things with Callie. Arizona admitted that Callie didn't even know she was there. They decided that Arizona would return to Seattle and tell Callie the truth about where she was. Carlos and Maria planned to come visit when Jamie was released from the hospital, but they would only come if Callie said it was okay.

Maria shared a tearful goodbye with the blonde who brought her her daughter back.

Arizona decided her job was done and decided to change her flight to get back to Seattle sooner. She was more nervous going home than she was heading to Miami. She knew she had to admit that she lied to Callie when she returned and that thought terrified her.

* * *

Thanks to time zones Arizona arrived back at the hospital only 18 hours after she left. She immediately found Mark, who was the only one besides Derek who was in on her plan. She quickly filled him in and asked him to sit with Jamie that night so that she could explain to Callie where she was. She knew she'd have to spend quite a bit of time calming the Latina down.

Arizona creeped into the hospital room. She saw Jamie, clutching his stuffed puppy, sleeping away. She turned to look at the couch and saw her beautiful girlfriend also peacefully sleeping. Arizona leaned down in front of Callie and kissed her softly on the lips. Callie's eyes fluttered opened. Arizona silenced her with her fingers and pointed toward the door.

Once safely outside, Arizona captured Callie's lips once again in a passionate kiss. Arizona knew her girlfriend would be angry with her and wanted one really good kiss to last for while. An angry Callie liked to withhold sex so she had to get it before she got angry.

Leaning her forehead against Arizona's Callie spoke, "What are you doing here?"

Arizona stole another kiss, "Come with me and I'll fill you in."

"But Jamie…" Callie protested. Just as quickly as Callie protested Mark appeared and entered the room.

* * *

Arizona brought Callie into the nearest empty on call room and sat her on the bed. She couldn't resist stealing another kiss. The knowledge that Callie was about to be really pissed at her made her want to get all that she could out of the Latina before she got upset.

"Not that I'm complaining, Ari. But you're supposed to be gone for another day." Callie muttered against Arizona's lips.

Arizona sighed and moved off of Callie's lap, "I lied. I wasn't at a conference."

"What? You lied?" Callie questioned, starting to get angry with her girlfriend. Lying was the one thing that Callie hated most in the world.

"I know and I'm so sorry, Calliope. But I couldn't tell you where I was going. You would have tried to stop me. You would have been pissed, actually. And you're going to be pissed at me now. You're going to be furious with me. So just prepare yourself for that." Arizona could see Callie getting angrier and she hadn't even told her the truth yet.

Callie gritted her teeth, "Just tell me, Arizona. Rip off the band-aid."

"I flew to Miami. I went to see your parents," Arizona blurted out.

"You what?" Callie screamed before she began going off in Spanish.

Arizona needed to shut Callie up so that she could finish telling Callie the truth but Callie wouldn't be quiet and stop with the Spanish. Arizona knew that her next move would only anger Callie more but she really needed to shut up the Latina. Arizona lunged forward, grabbed Callie by the shoulders and kissed her, hard.

"Shut up, Calliope," Arizona said when she pulled back from her mouth. "You can yell at me in Spanish all you want but not until you hear everything I have to say. Got it?" Arizona waited for Callie to acknowledge her before continuing, "So, I went to your parents' home to talk to them because Calliope, it killed me having to watch you work and take surgeries when you should have been with Jamie. Jamie needed you not some stranger but I know you needed the money and the insurance so I understand why you did it. But that didn't meant that I was happy about it, which is why I went to your parents. I went to yell at them for abandoning their daughter and grandson who needed their love and help. So I got there and your mother answered the door. She was very polite and nice to me and even got me tea. And when I told her about you and Jamie, you should have seen her face Calliope, she had no idea that Jamie even existed."

"What?" Calliope yelled interrupted Arizona's speech.

Arizona continued, "Apparently, your father never told her why he cut you off the last time. He'd intercept your letters and photos from the mail before she could see them. Your mother never knew that she has a grandson. She said she accepted the fact that your father cut you off because she loves him and can't go against him."

"Yeah, she's stuck in the 1950s," Callie interjected.

"But then your father showed up. He obviously remembered me from the first two times we met. I didn't have to say anything to him though. Your mother laid into him. She yelled at him in Spanish for over a half hour while I just sat there. I kind of zoned out for that part since I don't know much Spanish. Then all of a sudden there was silence and your mother was forcing me to sit at the dinner table and filling my plate with food."

Callie laughed as she grabbed Arizona's waist, "She probably thought you were too skinny."

"She might have said that once or twice," Arizona continued. "Over dinner your father said some things. He said that he still doesn't accept your gay lifestyle but he doesn't want to lose your mother, who apparently threatened him with divorce. So basically, they want to come visit. They want to fix things. Your mom can't wait to spoil Jamie rotten. And your father is wiring you more than enough money to pay for all of Jamie's bills from now until after college probably. So that's it, Calliope. That's everything. Now, you can yell and scream at me in Spanish." Arizona sat up straight, "I'm ready. I can take whatever you have to throw at me."

Callie sat on the bed in silence. Arizona didn't know how to take the silence so she shifted awkwardly on the bed awaiting the tongue lashing she was sure to receive.

Callie finally spoke, "Okay."

"Okay?" Arizona questioned.

"I don't know what else to say Arizona. I'm in shock."

"You're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad. I'm mad that you lied to me but I understand why you did." Callie grabbed Arizona's hands, "Can you promise me no more lying?"

Arizona nodded feverishly, "No more lying, I promise."

"Okay, then."

Arizona couldn't believe how nice Callie was being about all of this, "Seriously? That's it?"

"That's it. I can't yell at you for trying to help me. So they seriously want to come visit?"

"Yeah, they do. Your mom would be here today if she could. I convinced them to wait until he's back home and feeling better. They won't come until you're ready and you ask them."

Callie sighed and laid down on the bed, "This is a lot to take in." Arizona curled up, laying with her head on Callie's shoulder. "I still can't believe you went to see them on your own."

Arizona leaned up to look in Callie's eyes, "I'd do anything for you and Jamie."

"I love you," Callie said as she turned her head to capture Arizona's lips in a kiss. Callie's hands began to roam over Arizona's body. "I really love you," she said as she pulled off Arizona's top. "Not many people would face my bigoted father by themselves," Callie continued as she made quick work of Arizona's pants.

Arizona was enjoying the attention she was receiving from her girlfriend until she realized that she was nearly naked while Callie was fully clothed. Arizona managed to stop her girlfriend who was ravishing her neck, "I really love you too, Calliope. But you…you are wearing too many clothes."

Callie went back to kissing Arizona's neck. "Well, you'll have to take care of that," Callie got out between kisses.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"Ready to go home, big guy?" Arizona asked as she wheeled into the room. Jamie had been through a lot in the last three weeks of his chemo treatment. The treatment knocked him on his ass. He spent most of his days too sick to get out of bed and even play with his toys. Arizona was expecting an excited 'Yay' or even just a 'Yes' when she asked Jamie if he wanted to go home but she was greeted with a shrug of the shoulders. "You've been here for three weeks, Jamie. Are you telling me you want to stay here longer? I am your doctor, I can arrange that." She teased him, hoping to extract a better response.

"Home is better than here," Jamie replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I know you don't feel so good but I promise you will feel better soon once you get home in your own bed with Spot. And if you're really good, I might convince your mom to let you watch the Harry Potter movie – even though it is PG and you're only 4."

Jamie's eyes lit up. He had been begging his mom to let him watch the movie since he finished the book. "Really?"

"I'll try."

Jamie moved to get out of his hospital bed and held out his arms for Arizona to lift him into the wheelchair, "Okay, let's go."

* * *

When they got home, Callie adamantly refused to let Jamie watch Harry Potter claiming the little boy would get nightmares from it. Arizona watched Jamie scowl at her and point his finger. He blamed her for Callie saying no. She had told him she would try to get his mom to let him watch it but she failed him. He stomped his feet and went to his room to pout.

"Baby, what is so wrong with Harry Potter?" Arizona asked after Jamie was out of earshot.

Callie put up her hands and turned to grab bags of Jamie's things from the hospital, "Don't start, Arizona. He's too young for that movie. It's too dark for him. It scares you so why should he watch it?"

"You can't hold that against Jamie, Cal. You know I scare easily! And the first one isn't that scary. It's not like it's Azkaban or anything."

Callie started to get mad that Arizona was still fighting her on the issue, "I said no."

Arizona huffed, "Fine then. See how long you can last without sex."

Callie stopped in her tracks, "You wouldn't."

Arizona smirked.

"That's low."

Arizona walked behind Callie and nipped at her ear, "You know I fight dirty."

* * *

Five days later and both Arizona and Callie were cranky. Arizona and Callie both refused to cave on the issue. Arizona had taken every opportunity to turn Callie on and then leave her hanging. Callie retaliated by making sure that Jamie was around at all times and would serve as a buffer to keep Arizona from getting too close.

After seven days, Callie couldn't take it any longer and conceded defeat by surprising Arizona in the shower one morning while the blonde was getting ready for work.

Arizona felt a breeze when Callie opened the glass shower door and immediately felt strong hands around her waist.

"Does this mean we are watching Harry Potter tonight?" Arizona asked as she turned to look at Callie.

Callie captured Arizona's lips and teased her tongue while her hands found their way down Arizona's body. Her hands found their way between Arizona's thighs when she felt a firm hand grasp her own.

"Tell me that we are watching Harry Potter tonight?" Arizona smiled, refusing to let the Latina proceed until she had her affirmative answer.

"Fine. Yes. You win. You always win." Callie answered as she began to kiss her way down Arizona's body.

Arizona threw her head back against the wall of the shower, "Just as long as you always remember that."

* * *

Jamie was very excited for his movie night. He even invited Mark and Addison to join them and being the good godparents that they are they did not refuse his invitation. Once everyone had arrived they ordered pizza and after Arizona burned the first bag, Callie made them popcorn. Everyone settled in on the couches in the living room. Mark and Addison sat together on the loveseat while Callie stretched out on the other couch. Arizona and Jamie made a fort of pillows on the floor and were curled up together under a blanket.

Callie loved seeing her son's expressions as the movie showed Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. The movie was way better than anything he could imagine. He couldn't tear his eyes off of the screen. Callie was watching Jamie and Arizona more than the movie.

They were like two peas in a pod together on the floor. Jamie was so comfortable with Arizona. He leaned on her during the slow parts of the movie and they both sat up with wide eyes at the exciting parts. And when the troll entered the castle they both jumped and each grabbed onto one of Callie's legs for protection from the troll. They dragged Callie onto the floor so that Arizona could lay with her head in Callie's lap and Jamie lay across Arizona using her stomach as a pillow.

Mark and Addison noticed the family moment and quietly slipped out of the house unnoticed by the others. Callie peacefully watched her two favorite people watch one of their favorite movies.

* * *

"I think he really liked it," Arizona said after they put Jamie to bed and headed to Arizona's room.

"I think you really liked it too," Callie replied while pulling Arizona on top of her in the bed.

"You know I have a soft spot for Harry Potter."

Arizona moved so that she was resting on Callie's shoulder.

"I really enjoyed tonight too, Ari." Callie spoke into Arizona's hair.

"Oh really? I know that's not your favorite movie in the world. The movies don't get really good until book 3."

"It's not but watching you and Jamie enjoy it was worth the pain." Callie said as she toyed with Arizona's hand that rested on her stomach.

"I'm glad I could be of service at least."

Callie leaned down to kiss Arizona before asking "Did tonight feel different to you?"

Arizona looked up with a puzzled look on her face so Callie continued, "Tonight… it just felt like we were a real family. I know you love Jamie and I know he loves you but it's never felt as comfortable as it did tonight." Callie laughed, "I'm not sure I'm a fan. He chose to lay with you and not me."

Arizona joked, "Can't help it if he finally figured out that I'm the cool one." Arizona paused and kissed Callie passionately, "But in all seriousness, Calliope. I've known for awhile now that you and Jamie are my family. And nights like this just reinforce that."

Callie was enjoying having Arizona in her arms when the blonde suddenly shot up out of the bed and went rummaging through her drawers. She grabbed a sock and returned to the bed with it.

"Um, Ari. Are your feet cold?" Callie looked at her questioningly.

"Uh.. no… no. Not cold," the blonde stumbled over her words, "I planned on doing some type of grand gesture for this and much, much later on but this just seemed like the right time. I know we've only been back together a short time but I know that you are it for me. You and Jamie, you are my family."

Arizona reached into the sock and pulled out a small ring box. Callie's eyes widened when she saw the box in Arizona's hand. Her mouth fell open in shock. A proposal certainly wasn't what Callie expected to happen.

Arizona continued, "I've had this for over five years. When I first saw it, I knew it was meant for you. So I bought it even though we weren't ready for that step yet. Then everything happened. But I couldn't get rid of the ring. I knew it belonged to you so I held out hope that one day I'd see you again and I could give it to you – even in a nonromantic way. And fate brought you back to me and we found our way back together. And I love you and I love Jamie. I didn't think it was possible to love someone so much but I do, both of you. I want you two, to legally be my family. And thanks to recent law changes, we can make that happen. Because I don't want to live another day without you. So, after all of this rambling, what I am asking Calliope, is… will you marry me?"

Callie's mouth hung in shock throughout Arizona's entire speech. She was speechless. Callie Torres was rarely speechless. It wasn't that she didn't know what she wanted, it was just the last thing she expected to happen to her.

After minutes of silence, Arizona stood up muttering under her breath about it being too soon and a really bad idea and started to walk out of the room.

Callie could see the hurt in Arizona's eyes and raced off the bed after her. "Wait!" Arizona turned at the sound of Callie's voice and immediately felt Callie's lips crush hers. Callie broke off the kiss and whispered quietly, "yes."

Arizona pulled back, "Yes?"

Callie picked Arizona up and spun her around. "Yes. Yes! A million times yes." Callie gently placed Arizona back on the ground and leaned down to kiss her again but not before whispering, "I love you."

After spinning Arizona around one more time, Callie dropped her back on the bed and ran into her own bedroom. Granted, Callie's bedroom was mainly just used to store clothes, it also had one item that Callie needed most at that moment.

"Callie?" Arizona called out to her lover.

Callie yelled back, "Be right there."

After a minute of throwing things around the room Callie found what she wanted.

"Close your eyes," Callie demanded as she walked back toward the room.

Arizona leaned back against the pillows, "Calliope in hot, sexy lingerie – I can't wait."

Callie climbed back on the bed and placed a small box in front of the blonde. "Okay open them," Callie instructed.

Arizona opened her eyes and did not see her hot fiancée wearing lingerie. To her dismay, Callie was still fully clothed. Arizona frowned and didn't even notice the box sitting in front of her.

Callie nodded her head downward, willing her lover to look down at the box. Arizona finally looked down and saw the box.

Callie picked up the box and opened it. "Now you already stole my thunder with your incredible speech. But I've also been carrying this around for quite a few years. When I had to come back to Seattle I dreaded seeing you." Arizona rolled her eyes at Callie's speech. "Wait, it gets better, Ari. I bet you didn't know that after I ran into you at the coffee cart that first day back that I promptly ran inside to the nearest bathroom and threw up because of the way seeing you again made me feel."

Arizona interrupted, "You never told me that."

Callie shot Arizona a look, "Let me continue, please. Like I was saying, I really didn't want to see you but I had to – for Jamie. I had no idea that coming back to Seattle would not only give me my son back but also myself. For years I was just going through the motions. I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't living. You made me and Jamie live again, Arizona. And I don't want to live without you. I can't. Jamie and I have discussed it and we both want you to be our family. He's going to be very upset that I did this without him but here it goes. So, Arizona Robbins – will you marry us?"

Arizona smiled, "Of course I will, Calliope." Arizona leaned her forehead against Callie's, "I love you."

Callie pulled Arizona closer and kissed her. "I love you too. I'd really like to show you just how much, but we need to go wake up Jamie because he'll be really upset if we didn't."

* * *

Callie sat on her son's bed and tried to gently wake him up. Unfortunately, one of the traits he gained from his mother was the ability to sleep through anything. Callie gave up on gently waking him up and instead turned straight to tickling. Jamie was awake and alert within a minute.

"Mama? I'm tired. What?" Jamie mumbled as he tried to cover his eyes with his comforter.

"Jamie. Wake up. Arizona and I need to talk to you."

Jamie slowly lowered the comforter back down and looked at the two women.

"Jamie, remember the other day when I talked to you about our family? And we talked about Arizona and how much we love her? Remember when I asked you if it was okay if we lived with Arizona forever and she was always around?"

Jamie shook his head in agreement with his mother. Acknowledging that he remembered the conversation they had.

"Okay, Jamie. So tonight Arizona and I decided that we want to get married and be a family. All three of us."

Jamie stared at his mother and Arizona. "So it'd be like my friends who have a mom and a dad? Except I have two moms?"

Callie nodded at her son.

"Cool!" Jamie exclaimed as he jumped into Arizona's arms and kissed her.

Arizona pulled Jamie closer to her body and nuzzled his head, "I love you, Jamie."

"I love you too." Jamie pushed himself out of Arizona's arms and looked toward Callie and back to Arizona, "Does this mean I can call you mom?"

Arizona's eyes widened in shock. She didn't expect that question from the little boy. She glanced at Callie who just smiled. "You can call me whatever you want, Jamie."

Jamie climbed back toward Arizona and wrapped his arms around her neck, "I like mom."

Arizona and Callie both had tears in their eyes, "I like it too. But it's late so now you have to go back to bed. And since we woke you up, I guess you can get another chapter of Harry Potter."

Callie and Arizona tucked Jamie back into bed and read him another chapter before going to their bedroom and celebrating their night.

* * *

For the first time since moving in with Arizona, Callie woke up in Arizona's bed. Normally, they set an alarm and Callie will leave Arizona's room and go back to her room before Jamie woke up.

Arizona rolled over so that she was laying on top of Callie. "Did last night really happen?"

Callie pushed blonde hair out of her mouth, "Mmm. I think it did."

"So we're really engaged?"

Callie picked up her left hand and glanced at her ring finger, "Yep. I have a ring on my finger and you…" Callie grabbed Arizona's left hand and investigated her finger, "yep, you have a ring on yours too. So I hope we got engaged to each other and there aren't some other random girls in the house. That would be awkward."

Arizona and Callie lay together in bed taking in the moment.

"Hey Cal?" Arizona questioned wanting to get her lover's attention as she linked their hands together.

"Ari?"

"I don't want to wait. I could care less about planning some huge wedding. I just want to be married to you. Like yesterday."

Callie grabbed onto Arizona and rolled them over so that Callie was now hovering on top of the petite blonde. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Arizona leaned forward to kiss her fiancée. She dug her nails into Callie's back as she pulled her closer.

Callie smiled against her lover. "How about we just plan something small? We could do it here at the house or in the backyard. Just you and me, the kid and whoever isn't working at the hospital that day. If we do it next weekend that gives your parents enough time to fly up here."

"What about your parents? They said they wanted to visit you."

Callie rolled off of Arizona and rested her head on her shoulder. "I'm not sure attending their gay daughter's wedding was what they meant. I'd feel better inviting them up after we're married. Plus, I'm going to want some quality alone time with you after we get married. Not having to worry about entertaining my parents."

Before Arizona could reply, Jamie can running into the room and jumped on the bed.

"Someone is feeling better today," Callie commented on the boy's increased energy level.

"Mama, it's sunny out. Can we go to the park today? Pleaaaase?" The little boy pleaded while giving her his best sad eyes.

"We can, but not until you've eaten breakfast."

Jamie quickly scurried off the bed and headed for the door, "Okay, come on Mom, you're making pancakes."

Callie slowly got out of the bed, "Give me a minute, I'm coming."

Jamie turned around from the door, "Not you. You're Mama. She's Mom." Jamie said as he pointed toward Arizona.

Jamie ran downstairs waiting for his breakfast.

Arizona sat in the bed in shock over hearing Jamie call her mom. Callie noticed her expression and the tear coming down her cheek. "You sure you're okay with this Arizona? He can call you Ari. I'll talk to him."

Arizona quickly shook her head, "No, no. I like it." Callie reached her hand to wipe the tear away. "Happy tears, Calliope, happy tears."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback. I just want to explain this chapter to those who will be upset that I didn't go into more detail on the wedding. After planning and having a huge wedding a few years ago myself and dealing with all the stress that caused, I swore that I would advocate eloping to all of my friends - which is why I set this up as a small, intimate wedding. Also, this might be the last chapter. It feels like a good ending point. I've got more chapters written but I feel like they are boring because there really isn't anymore drama to be had in this story. Feedback and thoughts are appreciated!**

* * *

Arizona was in her office furiously working away on charts, trying to make sure she could get home by dinner when Mark Sloan entered the room and plopped himself on the couch.

"So I hear congratulations are in order?" Mark spoke as he took a bite out of his apple.

Arizona looked up from her computer, "Thank God Callie finally told you. I knew I couldn't keep it a secret for long but she wanted to be the one to tell you and Addison."

"Finally told me? It's like 10AM and you just got engaged last night."

Arizona held out her ring finger and showed him the large sparkly diamond, "It'd be pretty hard to hide this for very long."

Mark rolled his eyes, "Put it away, Robbins. I've seen that before. I was with her when she bought it, you know, before you broke up the first time."

Arizona pouted. She wanted to show off her new shiny rock.

"Pouting isn't attractive, Blondie," Mark said as he walked toward her. He leaned against her desk as she turned around in her chair to face him. "I'm really happy for you two. I'm really glad you pulled your head out of your ass."

Arizona chuckled, "Me too, Mark. You know, Callie already claimed Addison for her side so Mark, would you be my best man?"

Mark threw his apple core in the bin next to him, "Do I have to wear a dress? I do have nice very legs, you know."

"Very funny, Mark."

"You sure you guys aren't rushing into this? I mean, you're still in the honeymoon phase of your new relationship. That doesn't mean you need to go on an actual honeymoon."

Arizona tilted her head, "Is it fast? Yes. But we both know what we want so why put it off any longer?"

"I just don't want to see Jamie and Callie get hurt again."

Arizona stood up and put her hands on Mark's shoulders and looked him square in the eye, "I would never hurt them. I love them too much."

Mark nodded, "Good. I fully support you two."

* * *

Callie sat at the kitchen table staring at her cell phone. Her contacts list was pulled up and was highlighted on "Daddy." She had been staring at her cell phone for over twenty minutes. She couldn't find it in herself to pull the trigger. She didn't realize until she went to call him just how much pent up anger she had toward her father. She didn't know how she could call her father and talk to him without yelling and screaming.

Callie picked her phone up and spoke to herself, "It's now or never, Torres. Just man up and call." Callie hit the green button and the phone started ringing. "Maybe he won't pick up. What do I say? Ugh. This sucks," She wondered aloud.

"Hello?" her father answered.

Callie froze. She didn't know what to say.

"Hello? Calliope?" her father asked. "Calliope, please say something."

Callie took a deep breath and exhaled, "Daddy, hi."

Callie walked around the kitchen aimlessly as she spoke to her father. She let him guide the conversation. She answered his questions but was careful not to tell him too much. She was still unsure of how much she wanted to let her family back into her life. She didn't want to open her heart to being hurt again.

After a short conversation her father passed the phone off to her eagerly awaiting mother. It had been a long five years for Maria Torres. She missed her daughter deeply but couldn't betray her husband's wishes. When she heard her daughter's voice for the first time in forever she broke down in tears. Callie spent most of the conversation consoling her and trying to get her to stop crying. Maria wanted to know all about her grandson and Callie happily told her his life story. By the end of the conversation the Torres' family was scheduled to come up to Seattle in a month, when Jamie would be finished with his chemotherapy, hopefully forever.

* * *

Despite Arizona's best efforts an emergency surgery kept her at the hospital well past dinner time. By the time she made it home the rest of the house had long been in bed. Callie had officially moved into the master bedroom that day unbeknownst to Arizona so the blonde was pleasantly surprised to find Callie in her bed when she got home late that night. It was a very nice treat for Arizona at the end of a long day at the hospital.

Arizona quickly stripped down and pulled on boxers and a tank top. Living in the same house with a young child had definitely changed her sleeping attire habits. She never knew when he might appear in her room after a nightmare so sleeping nearly naked was no longer an option.

All Arizona wanted was to snuggle with her lover and catch some sleep before she had to be back in the hospital in the morning. She slipped into her side of the bed and immediately felt strong arms around her.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," she whispered to a sleepy Callie.

"Mmm. You didn't. I was waiting for you," Callie muttered.

Arizona turned over in Callie's arms, "Mm. With all that drool on your chin, it really looks like it."

Callie finally opened her eyes, "I really was…I talked to my parents today."

"Really? How did that go?" Arizona asked as she gently stroked Callie's hip.

"It went well, I guess. I invited them to come up after Jamie's last chemo session. So, we'll see how that goes. I'm still not sure how much I want to let them into my life again."

"That's completely understandable, baby."

Callie pulled Arizona so that she was laying on her so that she could look at her as they spoke. "I mean, if I let them back in now and they change their minds and don't want anything to do with me again, they're just not hurting me. They're hurting Jamie. He would be crushed to find out he has grandparents just to have them disappear." Callie reasoned as she ran her hands through Arizona's hair.

"I know you'll do what's right, babe," Arizona whispered, enjoying the scalp massage she was receiving.

Callie flipped Arizona onto her back and began kissing her neck. "I'm not going to worry about them until they're here. And right now, at this moment, I want to focus on my beautiful fiancée who just spent over 18 long hours saving the lives of many tiny humans."

Arizona's hands began to roam over her lover's body and moaned, "I like the sound of that."

* * *

Callie spent the next few days working to arrange her wedding. Their house had become wedding central. The formal dining room table was covered with papers and phone numbers. Addison and Callie spent their days on the phone trying to arrange everything with such short notice.

Callie and Arizona both didn't want anything fancy for their wedding. After everything they had been through together, they just wanted to be married and didn't care about an elaborate ceremony. They planned a small outdoor ceremony in the backyard, under a tent in case of rain. They kept the guest list small – mainly their hospital family and Arizona's family. Derek made sure that everyone had at least a few hours off to attend the ceremony. Food and flowers were easily taken care of with Addison's hard work. The hardest part was attire. Huge, frilly white dresses were not what either one wanted. This was a casual, backyard wedding so fancy was not an option, nor what they wanted. Addison took Callie and Jamie shopping while Arizona stole some time on her breaks to find the perfect outfit.

The days flew by and it was finally the big day. The girls slept in and woke up well rested. They didn't believe in the silly tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding so they started their day like every other day by having breakfast with Jamie. Soon after breakfast the house was flooded with caterers, florists and event planners getting the house ready for the big event.

Addison and Mark arrived and whisked their respective girl off to get ready while Cristina entertained Jamie and ensured he didn't get overwhelmed and was properly rested.

* * *

"You ready to do this, Cal?" Addison questioned as she was doing Callie's makeup.

Callie smiled, "Totally. I know you think we're doing this way too fast."

Addison put down the eyeliner and looked her best friend in the eye, "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"I'm not going to get hurt again, Addison. This is over six years in the making. We just had a little detour getting here," Callie chuckled at her last words.

"Some detour," Addison quipped.

"Look at you and Mark. You guys are going on what – 9 or 10 years in the making?" Callie retorted.

Addison smiled thinking of her renewed relationship with Mark, "Touché, Torres."

Callie started to get nervous and antsy in her room. Addison decided it was time to calm her down and went to retrieve a box for the beauty.

"What's this?" Callie questioned the large box placed in the room.

Addison shoved an envelope in her hands, "For you. From Arizona."

Callie pulled the lid off the box and was greeted with an original Nintendo gaming system still in the box and unwrapped.

Addison looked at the box in surprise, "That's romantic?"

"It is. I once told Arizona that the one gaming system I never had was the original Nintendo because my parents didn't think girls should play video games. I always wanted to play the original games," Callie laughed while a tear dripped on her cheek.

Callie turned her attention to the envelope and pulled out a card:

"Calliope,

Who would have thought we'd be here today? My heart has been yours since the night I forced myself on you at Joe's. You stole it that night and I never got it back. I'm so incredibly grateful that you came back into my life and made me whole again. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life making you and Jamie as happy as you two make me.

I can't wait to be married to you.

Love, Ari"

"Callie, you're ruining your makeup," Addison admonished as she noticed the tears running down her cheeks. "You okay?"

Callie smiled, "I'm great. I'm getting married today."

* * *

"You're no help in getting ready, Mark." Arizona admonished as she was fixing Mark's tie.

"I'm here for moral support, Arizona."

Arizona laughed, "You're here because even though you're a doctor and a manwhore you still don't know how to tie your own tie. How did you make it through med school when you had to wear a tie to class every day?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "I bought ten ties and had my roommate tie them all. I just slipped them off without undoing the knot."

Arizona leaned back to look at her work, "You look great, Sloan. Why don't you go hang out with Jamie and send Cristina back here with me."

"Can do, Blondie." Mark said as he was almost out the door. "Wait…" Mark pulled a box and piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Arizona, "For you."

Arizona smiled at the box before looking up at Mark, "Oh and Mark, no horse playing with Jamie. Don't get him too excited before this afternoon."

As Mark exited the room Arizona opened the box that revealed a beautiful pair of sapphire earrings that matched her engagement ring perfectly. She put the earrings in and opened the note:

"Arizona,

When I see these it is like getting lost in your eyes. If someone would have told me three months ago that I'd be marrying you today, I would have laughed at them. In the past three months, you've given me back my life. When you saved Jamie, you saved me too. You made me live again. I can't wait to live the rest of my life with you.

Yours forever,

Calliope"

Arizona smiled and folded up the note before finishing getting ready.

* * *

Apparently Mother Nature knew that today was a special day as the clouds parted and the sun came out only an hour before the ceremony was to begin. The guests filed in and took their places. Even Spot got to attend the festivities, he dressed up for the occasion wearing a bow tie collar.

Mark offered to become an ordained priest over the internet so that he could officiate but Arizona and Callie quickly nixed that idea. Instead, standing under the arch was the hospital chaplain.

Next, Mark and Addison walked down the aisle together and took their places on either side of the chaplain.

One of the biggest debates that Callie and Arizona faced with the wedding was who would walk down the aisle first. Ever the non-traditionalists, they decided to walk down together with Jamie in-between them.

When Mark and Addison were in their positions, Owen picked up his guitar and began playing the Elvis Presley hit Can't Help Falling in Love. Arizona and Callie appeared in the doorway with Jamie and made their way down the aisle.

Arizona was stunning in a knee length royal blue dress, much like the one she wore to Alex and Izzie's wedding. She chose blue because she knew that it would play off of her eyes, which were one of Callie's favorite things about her. Arizona warned Callie that she was going with a blue color so that they wouldn't clash.

Callie was breathtaking in a strapless, light blue flowing dress. Her hair was curly and flowing in the wind. She took Arizona's breath away when they saw each other before they walked outside.

They kept the ceremony very traditional with standard vows. With Callie's stage fright, she refused anything that involved her speaking more than "I do" and repeating after the chaplain.

The guests watched as the two women held hands and repeated their vows. Everyone present could see the love they had for each other. They didn't take their eyes off of each other throughout the ceremony. Rings were exchanged and before they knew it is was time to seal the union with a kiss.

As they leaned into their first kiss as a married couple, Jamie immediately put his hands in front of his eyes, Mark began cheering loudly and Cristina, Meredith and Alex held up numbers to judge their kiss which were 4, 7 and 10 respectively. Arizona and Callie couldn't help but laugh at the scene that surrounded them.

The newlyweds led the way into the house where a small dance floor had been set up and trays of food scattered the bottom floor of the house. Callie and Arizona kept holding hands and hated it when they finally had to separate to mingle amongst the crowd.

Speeches and toasts were given, food was eaten and much dancing occurred as the party went on into the night. Thanks to his naps, Jamie was able to enjoy the whole reception. As the party dwindled down, Mark and Addison ensured the happy couple that Jamie would be perfectly fine in their care for the next twenty-four hours. After all, they were both doctors too. After giving the boy a few final hugs and kisses and saying goodbye to their friends and family, Callie whisked her new wife away from their home and off to a secret location.

* * *

"Normally, I'd take you somewhere exotic and tropical," Callie said as they made their way into the hotel elevator, "Somewhere you'd be in a bikini all day. But since we only have one full day, I had to settle for somewhere close to home."

Arizona kissed her wife, "All I care about is being with you."

Callie opened the door to their hotel room and saw Arizona squeal in delight as she took in the extravagance of the penthouse suite at the Edgewater Hotel. "We only have 24 hours so I wanted to make sure we had everything possible so that we didn't have to leave the room."

Arizona eyed her hot new wife and then the hot tub and nodded, "I can definitely work with this."

Some time later, Callie and Arizona were naked and sprawled out in bed munching on the pizza they ordered from room service earlier.

Arizona moved the rest of the pizza onto the floor and pulled Callie into a steamy kiss. Their tongues fought for dominance before they finally had to break for air.

Callie ran her hands along Arizona's arms. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"Just a thank you," Arizona whispered.

"For what?"

"For marrying me."

Callie leaned Arizona back on the bed and brushed the hair out of her face, "You never have to thank me for loving you."

Arizona rolled Callie onto her back and straddled her hips. She ran her hands along Callie's body and smiled before leaning down and capturing Callie's lips. This time, Arizona was taking charge.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: So I've decided to go ahead and at least post what I already had written which is this and another chapter or two and then come up with a nice ending and/or epilogue for everyone. It's mostly just fluff, but hope you enjoy anyway! Thanks for reading!

* * *

After a whirlwind weekend, Monday morning arrived with a vengeance and it was time to take Jamie back to the hospital for what was hopefully his last round of chemotherapy. Callie didn't want to get Jamie's hopes up so she didn't tell him that it could be his last.

Jamie was in much better spirits as he settled back into his home away from home. The wedding seemed to rejuvenate him. He enjoyed getting to meet his new extended family. Arizona's mother doted on the little boy the entire time she was in town. Arizona's younger brother and sister enjoyed acting like kids again and embraced playing with him and his toys.

Jamie's better mood could also be attributed to the fact that Callie decided to allow her son to bring the brand new old school Nintendo that Arizona gave her as a wedding gift to the hospital.

Mark walked into the room and saw Callie hooking up the game system to the television. "What better place to honeymoon than Seattle Grace-Mercy West."

"Shut up and help me, Sloan or I won't let you play," Callie called from behind the TV.

Mark moved toward the TV, "Where is your other half and mini-me?"

"Jamie was bored so Arizona took him on rounds with her. I promised Jamie this would be working by the time he got back and all of this rudimentary electronics is giving me fits."

Mark moved Callie out of the way, "Let me do it."

After a few minutes Mark had the system up and working. "I think we need to test it out to make sure it is working properly for Jamie."

"Mario Brothers 3?" Callie asked.

Mark glared as he grabbed his controlled, "Like there is any other choice."

Soon the room filled with the sounds of laughing and playing. They each took turns getting their characters through the levels.

It was Callie's turn as Mark leaned back against the hospital bed, "So, Blondie… she's good with Jamie?"

Callie was shocked by Mark's question. There is no way she would have married her if she wasn't in love with her child. Callie paused the game, "Of course, you know that. You've seen them together everyday for months now. I wouldn't bring someone into his life that wasn't there for good."

"I'm just asking, Cal. I know how adamantly she didn't want kids in her life."

Callie turned around to look at Mark. "She's amazing with him. She really loves him. She reads him stories every night. When we watch movies, she's the first one to grab Jamie and cuddle with him. I don't know what changed her mind but she has."

"What about more kids?"

"That hasn't really come up yet," Callie ran her hands through her hair. "And in all honesty, I don't know if I want that – not after everything with Jamie."

Mark sat up and rubbed Callie's back, "You can't live your life being afraid."

At that moment, the door opened and Jamie ran into the room, quickly followed by Arizona on her heelys.

"Afraid of what?" Arizona asked as she helped Jamie onto the bed.

Callie fumbled for words, "Uh, spiders. Mark just had to kill one for me." Arizona gave Callie a look that told her she knew she was lying but Callie continued to change the subject. "Hey Jamie, ready for some Nintendo? Now, this isn't what you're used to playing. This is what we had when I was a kid."

Jamie laughed, "Wow, this is really old then."

"Watch it, mister." Callie cried as she threw a pillow at Jamie for calling her really old.

Callie restarted the game and showed Jamie how to play. The three surgeons and Jamie spent the rest of the morning jumping on mushrooms and warping down pipes with Mario and Luigi.

* * *

As Jamie fell asleep after receiving his chemotherapy, Arizona and Callie got comfortable on the couch. Arizona was laying down with her head in Callie's lap after a long day of work.

Arizona reached out and grabbed Callie's hand, looking at the rings on her wife's finger, "So what did I walk in on earlier with Mark?"

Callie shifted uncomfortably, "Nothing. It wasn't important. We were just playing Mario."

"Calliope, you twitch and stumble over your words when you are lying. Which you definitely did when I came into the room. So what were you guys talking about?"

Callie brought her legs up underneath her as she sat on the couch and looked at her hands, "Mark was just asking me about you and Jamie. You know, how you guys are getting along?"

Arizona sighed uncomfortably, "And... and what about that question makes you so uncomfortable?"

Callie leaned down, smiled and caressed Arizona's cheek. "Nothing. I mean, you are great with Jamie. I know you love him. It was the question that Mark asked after that, that made me uncomfortable."

Arizona tilted her head up, waiting for Callie to continue. Callie grabbed Arizona's hands and squeezed. "Mark asked me about having more kids. I said that we hadn't talked about that but I didn't even know if I wanted more after everything with Jamie. But like I said it's not important right now."

Arizona's mouth dropped opened in the shape of the letter O. She paused before beginning to talk. "Calliope, I know we haven't talked about that, but we should. Because it is important even though you are trying to play it off like it isn't. I told you before that I was all in. And I still am." Arizona started to nervously laugh, "I know it's not funny, but who would have thought our roles would have completely changed from where we used to be. When I look at Jamie, you know what I see? I see an amazing, handsome kid. He's so smart, kind and has a huge heart just like you. I see him being an amazing big brother. I can't imagine being an only child after growing up as one of four kids. Jamie needs siblings. But I know how scared you must be… you've spent more than half of Jamie's life fighting cancer. You don't want to have to go through that again. And I get it. Just know that I will always be here for you. Forever." Arizona pulled her left hand away to show Callie her wedding band, "See, I kind of married you over the weekend. That means you're never getting rid of me again."

By the time Arizona finished speaking, Callie had tears streaming down her cheeks. Arizona noticed the tears and pulled Callie into her arms.

Callie sniffled and spoke into Arizona's hair, "Did you just say that you want to have kids with me, Arizona?"

Arizona kissed Callie's temple and stroked her hair. "Yes, I did. If you want and when we're ready, of course. Whenever that might be. I can't promise I won't freak out, because I can pretty much guarantee that will happen… multiple times."

Callie chuckled into Arizona's hair, "I love you."

* * *

Callie dropped their bags on the floor of the entryway, "It is so good to be home and to know we don't have to go live in the hospital again."

"Home. I like you calling it home." Arizona said as she hugged Callie from behind.

As the two women were embracing in the entryway, Jamie ran past them looking for Spot.

"So I think Addison wants to throw a party for Jamie," Arizona spoke as she walked toward the backyard to find Jamie.

Callie opened the door to the backyard, "I heard. I tried to tell her we just had the wedding but she claimed that Jamie needed a party just for him. Addison's going to be the only person in Jimmy Choo's to throw a party at Chuck E Cheese."

Arizona stopped walking causing Callie to walk right into her back, "Calliope, Addison wants to do it at Chuck E. Cheese? We are definitely letting her throw the party now."

Callie couldn't help but laugh at her wife's love of kiddie games and toys.

"You know your parents are going to be here in a week – the same weekend Addison wants to do the party," Arizona spoke softly, not wanting Jamie to overhear them.

Callie tensed, "I know. Maybe meeting all of our friends will help them deal with the fact that we got married. Maybe they'll see that the lesbians aren't bad, scary people that are going to destroy their grandson's life."

As Callie was finishing her sentence Jamie came running at her, muddy from falling into the grass with Spot.

Arizona jumped behind Callie to protect herself from the mess while Callie held out her hand to stop him. "Don't even think about it, James."

Jamie didn't listen to his mother and ran right up to her and gave her a hug. Callie leaned down to whisper into his ear. Jamie laughed and looked at Arizona. Arizona saw the gleam in his eye and knew exactly what the two were up to.

"Oh no," she yelled as she ran toward the house but she fumbled with the doorknob and Jamie caught up with her and hugged her tightly. Arizona grimaced as she felt the mud cake on her but couldn't help but smile at the little boy who was so happy.

Callie walked up behind them and looked at Arizona, "Come on, let's go get our son in the bath."

Callie knew what she said and said it for a reason. She reached for Arizona's hand and gave a squeeze as Arizona stood their shocked. It was the first time Callie had ever referred to Jamie as their son.

Arizona smiled, "Let's go."

They didn't need to discuss the moment that just transpired but simply chose to enjoy living in the moment.

After everyone was freshly bathed Jamie was tired and wanted his story and to go to sleep. Arizona only made it a few pages into the chapter when she realized Jamie was already asleep. The two adults made their way to the doorway and stared at the little boy in the race car bed before turning off the light.

Callie smiled looking at her son and wrapped her arm around Arizona. Callie whispered into Arizona's hair, "How would you feel about adopting Jamie?"

Arizona turned in Callie's arms so that she was facing the Latina. She excitedly said, "Yeah." Arizona took a moment to calm herself down before continuing, "I mean, if it is okay with Jamie."

Callie kissed Arizona. "I'm positive it's okay with him. But we'll talk to him about it tomorrow."

* * *

Arizona reached down and took hold of Callie's hand and gave her an encouraging smile.

Callie looked up and stared at the hotel room door. Room 901. The room her parents were in at that moment. She reached up with her right hand and knocked on the door. "Now or never, right?" Callie whispered to her wife.

Callie heard footsteps walking toward the door and her breathing seemed to stop. The door flung open and Maria Torres immediately started crying. She grabbed Callie by the neck and wrapped her arms around her tightly, sobbing into her neck.

Arizona quietly entered the room and stood off to the side. It was Callie's moment. She was simply there for emotional support and strength.

Once Maria let go of her daughter, Carlos stepped forward and gave his daughter a quick squeeze. He didn't know how to act around his daughter who was a stranger to him after being apart for over five years.

Maria led her guests into the sitting room of the penthouse suite. She offered drinks which were politely accepted. Once everyone was seated on the couches across from each other, the room got eerily silent. No one knew what to say to each other. Maria didn't know what to say to her daughter that she all but abandoned.

As Callie reached up to take a sip of her drink, Maria noticed the diamonds sparkling on her daughter's left hand. Maria reached out and grabbed the hand in question. "What is this? When did you do this?"

Callie's eyes darted to Arizona. She started to stutter, "Uh. About 10 days ago."

Seeing her mother's face drop and Callie fumbling with her words Arizona chose to speak up, "It happened really quickly. We pulled it together in about a week. It was a really small ceremony and party at our house."

The room remained quiet and Callie couldn't take it anymore. "Mama, Daddy – please be okay with this because if you aren't you can go ahead and fly back to Miami." Callie's parents remained silent and stoic so Callie continued, "I'm happy. I'm happier than I've been in a very long time. Just be happy for me. For us."

The room went back to being so quiet you could hear Callie's nervous stomach churn. After a moment of staring at the two young women on the couch opposite her, Maria stood up and walked to sit down next to Callie.

Maria squeezed Callie's knee, "Mija, I just wish that I could have been there. This is two weddings now that you've had that we didn't get to attend."

Callie smiled, "I'm sorry, Mama. We have tons of pictures."

Taking a cue from his wife's acceptance, Carlos stood up and walked to the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of champagne and four glasses. As he popped the cork on the bottle he declared, "I think this news calls for a celebration."

After, they opened the champagne the foursome fell into an awkward but relaxed banter. Carlos and Maria had a slew of questions about Jamie and his health which Arizona and Callie did their best to answer without frightening them. Carlos was very impressed when he heard that it was Arizona that was able to save his grandson's life.

After describing the surgery that saved Jamie's life, Callie couldn't help but lean over and kiss her wife. Maria and Carlos were taken aback by the open display of affection between the two women in front of them but did their best not to show that to Callie. It was something they would simply have to get used to, they decided. They wanted Callie and Jamie in their lives and they had to admit that Arizona was pretty amazing herself. Carlos had been impressed when Arizona flew to Miami to meet with him. No one ever stood up to him the way Arizona did that day. They also saw the way Callie and Arizona looked at each other and could see the love between them. Carlos decided that night that if Arizona made his daughter and grandson so happy then he could accept her in his life.

* * *

"Come on, Jam. We've got to get ready. You can play with Spot later," Callie yelled into the back yard.

Jamie begrudgingly walked inside, shedding his coat and gloves and sat on the couch where Callie moved to sit next to him. She wondered how she was supposed to tell her son that he has grandparents after all.

Callie turned to Jamie and straightened his shirt that had been jumbled underneath the coat. "We're going to have some company while we eat this morning, buddy. You know how you got to meet Grandpa Danny and Nana Pam at the wedding?"

Jamie nodded.

"Today, my mom and dad are coming to visit us," Callie said looking into Jamie's brown eyes.

"Your mom and dad? I didn't think you had a mom and dad," Jamie replied.

"Everyone has parents, Jamie. Mine just live very far away so I don't get to see them that much but they really can't wait to meet you." Callie continued, "Your Abuelo and Abuela are going to spoil you rotten, buddy. And Abuela will probably hug you and cry a lot, so be prepared for that, okay?"

Jamie looked up, "Are they coming to my party?"

"You bet. Now, let's go wash up. You don't want to have dirty hands when you meet them for the first time, do you?"

The doorbell rang while Jamie and Callie were still upstairs getting ready. Arizona rushed to the door and put on her best smile. Carlos and Maria Torres looked just as nervous as Callie was upstairs. Arizona invited them inside, assuring them that Callie and Jamie would be down in a minute. Carlos took this as an opportunity to check out the home in which his daughter was now living; trying to see if it was suitable for his daughter and grandson.

Wanting to hurry up her wife, Arizona called out to Callie. "Calliope, your parents are here."

She heard a faint, "Coming," reply.

After another minute of standing in the living room nervously, Callie came rushing into the room with a small child hiding behind her legs. Callie bent down to Jamie's level.

"Jam, I want you to meet your Abuelo and Abuela."

Jamie shyly moved away from Callie and held out his hand to the older people in the room. Maria burst into tears as she finally saw her grandson. He looks so frail and sick. His body was still weak and his color was still drained from his face. She could only imagine what was under the beanie he wore on his head. She immediately bent down to Jamie's level and hugged him, "We hug in our family, Jamie. I'm so happy to finally get to meet you."

When Maria finally let go of Jamie, Carlos also bent down toward his grandson and gave him a hug. He also held out a box for the boy. "I heard you were having a party today. So this is for you."

Jamie smiled at the older man and took the present from him. He looked to Callie who gave her approval to open the gift which was a transformer action figure. Jamie smiled when he saw it and ran to hug his grandparents who smiled in return.

Arizona spoke up, "Calliope spent all morning slaving over the stove and I for one am starving."

Jamie interrupted, "Me too."

"Well then, let's go eat," Arizona finished as she led the way to the dining room.

* * *

Jamie talked so much at brunch that he almost forgot to eat if he weren't being reminded by his parents. Though he was initially shy when he met his grandparents, he certainly wasn't anymore. Maria and Carlos sat and watched him talk about his friends, family, Spot. They nodded along with his stories and smiled when he laughed. Callie spent her time watching the scene unfold much like she initially watched Arizona with Jamie when they first met.

After a short nap it was time to get to Jamie's party. Addison had gone all out for the party. It was the fanciest party Chuck E. Cheese had ever seen.

Callie was busy watching Arizona and Jamie play in the ball pit with Mark when Addison saddled up next to her. Acknowledging the redhead's presence, Callie spoke, "What are you going to do now? We've been away from Oceanside for over four months now."

Addison sighed, "I don't know what to do. I'm really enjoying being back here and being with Mark. It's like the timing is finally right for us for once."

Looking at Arizona, Callie smiled. "I know what you mean."

The two stood in silence watching their family play together.

"You know I've been thinking about what I'm going to do too. I can't go back to LA. Arizona's life is here. And Jamie really loves it here too. But I really can't go back to hospital hours," Callie started. "And my parents are basically trying to buy me back into their lives. Why not let their money go toward something good? So what would you say to opening an Oceanside Wellness location in Seattle?"

Addison stared at Callie and then turned back to the scene in the ball pit with Arizona, Jamie and Mark. She spent minutes trying to comprehend what Callie had just said.

Callie shifted uneasily, "Just think about it, Addison."

Addison cut her off, "I don't have to think about it. I'm in."

* * *

Arizona flopped onto the bed. "I am pooped."

"I'm not surprised. You played more than the kids and ate more cake than them too. I don't know how you stay so skinny when you eat so much sugar," Callie laughed as she pinched Arizona in the side.

Arizona smirked, "It's a gift. I've been blessed with super fast metabolism."

Callie brushed Arizona's hair out of her face. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Hmm?" Arizona mumbled as she got comfortable in Callie's side.

"I was thinking that Addison and I should open up a clinic up here. That way I still get to work but don't have to work crazy surgeon hours. And Addison can stay in Seattle instead of going back to LA so she can be with Mark. I talked to my parents and they'd be willing to put up the startup costs."

Arizona nodded as Callie rambled. Arizona leaned up on her elbows and put her finger over Callie's lips. "I think that is a fantastic idea, Calliope."

"You do?" Callie questioned.

"I do," Arizona replied as she kissed her wife.

Callie caught her breath as she gazed into Arizona's blue eyes, "What would you say about joining us? I know how passionate you are about your work at the hospital and I don't want to take that from you but I'm selfish and I want you home more. I know Jamie does too. You could be home for dinner every night and actually get more than 5 hours of sleep a night."

Arizona was shocked at Callie's suggestion. She thrived in the operating room. She loved spending her days in there. Sure, she'd still have that if she moved to a private practice but it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be the high intensity pressure of a hospital. But Callie did have some positives to offer. She'd get to work with her everyday. She'd get to schedule her surgeries around her schedule and except for emergencies she would work normal hours.

Callie could see the blonde's mind working in overdrive. She rubbed her hands along Arizona's back to help calm her mind down.

Arizona sighed, "I don't know, Calliope. How about we just take things as they come? I've already told Derek that I'm not going to work the crazy hours I was before and he agreed. We're going to start training Alex to do more. Maybe eventually, I would do both. I'm going to be home more." Arizona pressed her lips softly against Callie's, "I promise."

Callie pulled Arizona impossibly closer to her, "I'm going to hold you to that."

Arizona began trailing kisses from Callie's ear lobe down to her neckline. When she ran out of skin and hit the soft cotton of Callie's t-shirt she had to remove the offending item.

"Mmm," Callie moaned. She smiled at Arizona as she flipped her onto her back, "I'm going to hold you to that, right now."


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: About 2 more chapters to go. I'm going out of town this weekend without my computer so the next chapter won't be up until early next week. Enjoy!

* * *

For the next four months Callie and Arizona's home became the headquarters for Oceanside Wellness Clinic: Seattle. Addison and Callie spent their days ordering equipment, searching for office space and hiring staff. After months of putting their hearts into the project they were ready to open their doors to patients.

In her off time from starting up the business Callie spent her days playing with Jamie.

All of Jamie's monthly tests continued to show no re-growth of his cancer. His hair was almost fully grown back. He even started going to pre-school three days a week and had joined a soccer team. Jamie was finally getting to be a kid.

Over the last months a familiar routine had set in at the Torres household. Arizona kept her word and scaled back her hours at the hospital. She was normally home for dinner at least four nights a week and except for her one required overnight shift a week, she made sure she was home by Jamie's bedtime unless there was an emergency at the hospital.

* * *

Callie and Addison planned an extravagant party to celebrate their new practice. They held the party in their new offices to show off the new digs to their friends and family. The party had to impress their potential patients and other doctors who would send referrals their way.

Arizona watched as Callie made her way through the party goers. She looked gorgeous in her little black dress. Arizona watched as Callie stopped to talk to a rather attractive man who was being very handsy with her wife. She watched them talk and kept her eye on the man's hand which rested on Callie's forearm. Arizona made a mental note to ask Callie about him later as she watched him caress her shoulder. While the man seemed very interested in the conversation, Arizona could tell Callie was bored. Arizona decided she needed to intervene and help her wife out.

She moved her way through the crowd and placed her hand on Callie's arm gaining the Latina's attention, "Can I steal you away for a moment? Addison wants you to meet someone."

Callie smiled, "Of course." She turned her attention to the gentleman she was speaking with, "Please, excuse me."

After they were a few steps away Callie whispered, "Thank you for that."

Arizona laughed as they made their way to the bar to refresh their drinks.

Callie was in her element schmoozing with the party guests, a skill she learned growing up a Torres. By midnight the party ended and the cleaners arrived as the offices had to be spotless by opening time the next day.

* * *

Callie was standing in the bathroom taking off her earrings when Arizona snaked her arms around her. She leaned up to remove Callie's necklace and took the opportunity to leave a kiss. She made eye contact with Callie in the mirror, "I am so proud of you."

Callie spun around and started to slip out of her dress, "I couldn't have done it without you."

The two quickly changed and resume cuddling in bed. Callie was resting on Arizona's shoulder with her arm wrapped around the blonde's waist. Arizona kissed her head, "What kind of appointments do you have for your first day?"

Callie was rubbing circles on Arizona's stomach, "One of the Seattle Sounders players is coming in. He's had like three knee surgeries already and wants to play again. I hope I can help him."

"You are awesome, Calliope. I know you'll do everything possible."

Callie sighed, "I know. I just don't want to ruin his career."

"His career is already over – you'd be bringing it back to life," Arizona mumbled into Callie's hair.

Callie looked up toward Arizona, "You still going to come take me out to lunch?"

"Of course. I have to make sure all your new employees know that you're taken by having my way with you in your new office. I saw the way that one guy was looking at you… the psychologist I think. He was looking at you like you were a piece of meat. He looked at your boobs the entire time he was talking to you."

Callie laughed, "You're talking about Jack and he's harmless. And everyone knows that I'm married to this super, super hot blonde."

Arizona looked down on her wife, "That doesn't take away the fact that he was totally staring the entire time. I mean, he has good taste but those are all mine."

Callie leaned up and pulled Arizona's face down to hers and placated her with a kiss. "I only have eyes for you, babe. You're the only one that gets to play with these," Callie said as she gestured down to her breasts.

Arizona smiled and resumed playing with Callie's hair. They were both enjoying the closeness and relaxation after a long day when Arizona nonchalantly said, "I think we should have a baby."

Callie's body immediately went tense in Arizona's arms, "What? Where did that come from, Ari?"

"Well, you've got the practice open now and my hours are finally pretty stable. And if we wait any longer the age difference between a baby and Jamie is going to be too much for them to be close," Arizona rambled, still playing with Callie's hair. "It just seems like it is a good time. What do you think?"

Callie was still stunned. Arizona had a way of keeping Callie on her toes, always surprising her. "I think… I think that would be nice."

Arizona noticed the hesitation in Callie's voice, "You don't sound so sure, babe."

Callie kissed Arizona's shoulder, "I would love to have a baby with you. I would love to have ten babies with you. But, all I can think about is having another sick kid."

"I can't promise that nothing bad will happen, you and I both know that. But the probability of another child being as sick as Jamie was… is miniscule," Arizona paused, "You won't be alone in this. I'll be holding your hand the whole way."

Callie looked up at Arizona, "You promise?"

Arizona nodded and Callie smiled. "So, Mrs. Torres," Callie said, "since you're the one that brought this up, how do you want to do this?"

"First off, I want the baby to have the same biological makeup as Jamie if possible. I don't even want to think about him getting sick again but we both know that full siblings provide the best chance for bone marrow matches and other organ matches."

Callie interrupted and gazed at Arizona, "I understand that but what about you? You don't want a child that is biologically related to you?"

Arizona shook her head and slinked down in the bed next to Callie so they were facing each other. "I don't need genetics to tell me that this baby will be mine. I couldn't love Jamie any more if he had my blood running through him. Blood doesn't make a family."

Callie smiled and kissed Arizona, "It's a good thing that the sperm donor I picked was pretty much you in a male form… as much as Addison told me not to pick him. So there is still a chance for a blonde and blue eyed kid running around here."

"I'm pretty sure your dominant Latin roots negate any hope for my recessive blonde traits to shine through," Arizona laughed.

"So, who carries the baby?" Callie said as she studied Arizona's face. Callie had already been pregnant once and she had no problem doing it again. She loved being pregnant but she would also love to see Arizona carrying their child. With all the reservations Arizona had in the past about children, she didn't know if Arizona would be up for carrying their child.

"Ultimately, I'd like for us to have three kids so that means we could each have one."

"Three kids, Ari? You sure about that?" Callie questioned.

"Baby, I'm sure. Three is a perfect number. Plus, I'd really like for both of us to get to experience being pregnant. I know you've done it before, but I wasn't there for that. And since I'm a couple of years older than you and I'm not getting any younger… I suppose I should go first."

Callie snuggled into Arizona's chest, "We're going to have a baby."

"We're going to have a baby," Arizona smiled as she kissed Callie's head.

"I'll talk to Addison about it tomorrow and we'll work with Jennifer, our fertility specialist with the clinic. We'll have you knocked up in no time." Callie said as she pushed up and peppered Arizona's face with sweet kisses.

* * *

Three months later, Arizona was busy training Alex Karev who had just been promoted to an attending. She was grooming him to take over her duties when she finally got pregnant. He was the one she trusted most with her department so it made sense to her. While he was an excellent surgeon, he had a lot of work to do on the administrative front. She spent her time teaching him how to fill out forms correctly and which nurses to sweet talk into helping.

It was also the start of summer so many of her residents and other attendings were begging for time off so she gladly helped take their shifts when she could. She knew she'd be wanting them to return the favor soon enough.

It had been a long day for Arizona and she was starting to feel the wear and tear of such a hectic schedule. She had maintained 40 hour work weeks pretty religiously since her and Callie were married but this month because of all the help she was giving she was back to 80 hour weeks. Not only was she tired, she was missing her wife and son. She had barely seen either one of them all week. The most she saw Jamie was when she peeked into his room to kiss him goodnight and good morning.

Arizona had a headache and was fatigued as she was scrubbing out of surgery and heading to the cafeteria for some caffeine as she still had four more hours on her 36 hour shift when she got a 911 page from the ER. At the same moment, Mark came running up to her and informed her that Callie and Jamie were in the ER. Arizona didn't stop to listen to what Mark had to say and immediately took off running.

Arizona ran to the stairwell and rushed toward the ER. She found Alex standing outside a curtain when he put his arms out to stop her.

"He's not your patient today, Dr. Robbins," Alex told his superior and friend.

"Dr. Karev, I'm the only attending on duty and you are still learning the job so I will be taking care of him… with your help, of course."

Alex pulled back the curtain and saw Jamie laying on the bed looking nauseous and Callie sitting on the bed rubbing his back. Arizona rushed to Jamie's side and went right into doctor mode.

"Mommy!" Jamie cried when Arizona walked into the room.

"What happened?" Arizona asked Callie.

"I was putting him to bed and went to kiss his forehead when I noticed he was burning up. I took his temp and it was 102 so I rushed him here and tried calling you but you were in surgery."

Arizona nodded and reassured Callie by squeezing her hand as she took in the information then went to talk to Jamie. "Hey baby, tell me where it hurts?"

Jamie cried, "My stomach and my head. I don't feel so good, Mommy."

Arizona rubbed his hair and kissed his forehead, "Alex and I are going to have you better in no time, baby. Do you feel bad anywhere else?"

"I feel like Uncle Mark has been spinning me on the merry go round at the park."

Arizona turned to Alex and ordered a series of tests. With Jamie's medical history she wanted everything tested even if this could only be a simple stomach virus.

Arizona turned her attention back to her son who looked to be in obvious pain. "Okay, Jamie. I need you to be strong for me while I put this IV in you, okay? This will only hurt for a few seconds and then we'll be able to get medicine in you that will help you feel better."

Jamie nodded as Arizona slipped on her gloves. She could see Jamie's eyes fill up with tears when she inserted the needle into his arm. She hated hurting her son but knew it would make him feel better in the end. Afterward she looked up at Callie who also had tears in her eyes. Having Jamie back in the hospital only brought back bad memories for her, it was almost 1 year exactly since Callie entered Seattle Grace again with Jamie being deathly ill.

The IV was soon hydrating Jamie as well as administering simple Tylenol to bring down the fever and help him feel better while they waited on the test results.

Arizona watched as Jamie's eyes got heavy from the medication and he was soon asleep. As she scribbled notes into his chart she realized her own headache was getting much worse.

"It's not his cancer, sweetie. It wouldn't manifest like this," Arizona tried to reassure her wife.

"I know. I just hate seeing him sick again," Callie said softly, not wanting to wake her sleeping child.

"It's probably just a stomach virus," Arizona said as she caressed Callie's cheek. "Don't worry. We'll have some answers soon."

Arizona stood back up and went back over the notes in the chart, rubbing her head in the process.

"You don't look so good yourself, Ari," Callie noticed.

Arizona shook her head, "Just a headache and a very long day. Lots of sick tiny humans today. I didn't have much time to eat or sit down."

Callie frowned, "I can't handle having two sick people in my house. You need to learn to delegate better, baby."

Arizona forced a smile, "That's what I'm training Alex for, he's almost there. Another week with me and he'll be able to do my job almost as good as me."

* * *

Two hours later, Callie was fast asleep next to her son and Arizona was stalking the lab for Jamie's test results. The blood work was inconclusive and his symptoms could also indicate meningitis so Jamie needed a spinal tap. She hated the thought of her son having to go through that pain. Let alone being the one to put him in that pain. Alex had to do it, she decided.

He quickly responded to her page, "What's up boss?"

"I need you to do a spinal on Jamie." Arizona told him.

Alex nodded as they made their way to Jamie's room, "You think it's meningitis?"

Arizona nodded as she opened the door and made her way to wake up Callie.

Jamie and Callie were both sound asleep. Arizona hated this part. Taking both of them out of their peaceful slumbers and inflicting physical pain on Jamie and emotional pain on Callie. It had to be done.

They were both grouchy after being woken up. Alex managed to convince Jamie to have the spinal tap done even though Alex told him that it would hurt. He took Arizona's typical route and promised lots of pudding when he was feeling better which made the child happy.

To Callie's surprise she looked less anxious over the procedure than Arizona did. Callie was seated next to Jamie's head and Callie quickly pulled the pacing blonde into her lap.

"It's a simple procedure," Callie whispered into Arizona's ear. "It's because you're not in control, right?"

Arizona sniffled and fought back tears, "No, I just don't like seeing Jamie like this."

Arizona grabbed another stool and moved to sit next to Callie by Jamie. She observed Alex as he prepared for the simple procedure. When she saw him pull out the rather large needle that would be piercing the back of her son she got queasy. Callie noticed her wife's sudden discomfort.

"You don't look so good. Why don't you go lay down?"

Arizona shook her head, "I told you before. It's just a headache and I'm tired."

"Which is why you should go lay down," Callie insisted with a stronger tone than before.

Arizona was beginning to get angry, "Why? You don't want me here?"

"I never said that. I just want you to take care of yourself."

Arizona was getting defensive, "You're making it very clear, Callie. I'm not wanted here." Arizona stood up, "I'll be in my office if you need me, Dr. Karev."

Callie sat in disbelief for a few minutes as she watched Arizona storm out of the procedure room. She turned toward Alex, "Dr. Karev, can you wait a minute to start. I need to go get her."

Alex grunted in response but he knew that Arizona would kick herself if she wasn't there for Jamie's procedure so he would wait for Callie to bring her back.

* * *

Callie walked into Arizona's dark office and spotted the blonde curled up on the couch crying. She kneeled down next to Arizona and stroked her hair. "Baby, come on. I didn't mean it like that. I just don't like seeing you so run down."

Arizona didn't respond to Callie's attempts at making peace. She was too angry and upset to make up just yet.

"Arizona," Callie spoke, "Alex is waiting for us to start. Jamie needs both of us there." Callie stood up and reached down to pull Arizona up who begrudgingly accepted.

"I'm only doing this for Jamie," Arizona said sternly as she allowed Callie to help her.

As soon as she stood up, Arizona felt woozy and Callie had to steady her on her feet.

"Okay, Arizona. As soon as Jamie has the spinal tap and is sleeping. You're going to get looked at yourself. You could have the same thing Jamie does." Callie said with such force that Arizona knew not to fight back.

* * *

Alex finished the procedure with as little pain inflicted to Jamie as possible. Jamie was soon back in his room while they waited for the lab to get the results back. Jamie was wide awake due to the pain so Arizona quickly got the nurses to adjust his medications that so that his body would get the rest it needed.

As soon as Jamie was back to sleep, Callie pulled Arizona into an exam room of her own.

"Symptoms?" Callie asked her wife as she removed the thermometer from her mouth.

"Fatigue, headache, dizziness. What's my temp?" Arizona answered.

"99.1 so pretty normal. But you do have a lot of the same symptoms as Jamie. Any nausea? Because Jamie definitely emptied his entire stomach."

Arizona thought for a moment, "After surgery this morning but I had just eaten a particularly bad jelly doughnut and just now when I saw that huge needle that Alex was about to stick into Jamie."

Callie smiled, "Okay, I'm going to draw some blood but I think I know what it is."

Arizona looked disgusted with Callie. How could Callie be smiling when she felt like crap. "Would you care to let me in on that diagnosis, doctor?"

"For a world renowned surgeon, you are pretty dense about your own body, Ari," Callie laughed.

"Just tell me, Calliope. I am not in the mood to deal with your games."

"Let's see Arizona. You're tired, nauseous, dizzy, have a headache and are really really _really_ moody." Callie leaned up from her stool to whisper in Arizona's ear, "I think you're pregnant."

Arizona looked shocked. "That's not possible, Callie. We're not supposed to know for…" Arizona glanced at the date on her watch, "we were supposed to go get tested three days ago." Arizona put her head in her hands, "I've just been so busy, it completely slipped my mind."

Callie laughed at the blonde, "Pull up your sleeve, we'll know for sure soon. But with your symptoms, it fits."

Arizona put up her hand to stop Callie, "Make sure you run the test under a different name. I don't want the entire hospital finding out until we're out of the first trimester. You know how gossip goes here."

Callie tried her best to get the blood as quickly as possible but that didn't stop Arizona from punching her in the arm in retaliation because of the pain Callie put her in.

"You are going to be a crazy person to live with for the next nine months," Callie said as she finished labeling the vial of blood.

Arizona smiled and wrapped herself around Callie, pulling herself up to her lips. "And you'll love every second of it," Arizona mumbled against Callie's mouth.

Callie deepened the kiss before they needed oxygen. They pulled back and rested their foreheads against each other. "I love you," Callie declared to Arizona.

Arizona smiled, "I love you too. And I'll try not to be too big of a bitch."

* * *

The sun was starting to rise in Seattle and Jamie had been at the hospital for over ten hours when Alex strolled in with the test results in his hands.

"Viral meningitis," Alex declared to Jamie's parents.

Arizona and Callie both sighed in relief. It was an easy course of treatment – Jamie would immediately start antibiotics and would feel better in a week or so.

While Arizona left the room to get Jamie's discharge paperwork she also stopped by the computer to pull up her test results that had to have been done by now. She scanned them for the information she was looking for and hit print. She headed off to find her family and head home. They all needed some sleep in their own beds. Callie didn't have any patients until mid day so she called in and let the office know that she wouldn't be in until after lunch. Arizona left Alex in charge of the peds department and they were on their way home.

After getting Jamie to bed, Callie followed Arizona to the bedroom.

"So are you going to tell me or not?" Callie questioned.

Arizona spent the entire car ride home trying to figure out how to tell Callie what Callie already knew. She tried her best to keep the smile off of her face but when Callie just asked her she couldn't help but have a huge smile on her face.

Callie took the smile as her answer and immediately enveloped Arizona in a tight hug. "I love you so much. This is amazing," she whispered in her wife's ear.

Arizona pulled back, "I love you too."

Callie captured Arizona in a passionate kiss and Arizona quickly tried to take things to the next level by starting to help Callie out of her clothes. Instead of helping her, Callie tried to stop Arizona.

"Baby, you need to sleep. You've been up for over 40 hours now," Callie told Arizona as she moved to turn down the bedspread.

Arizona rolled her eyes, "Calliope, just because I'm pregnant does not mean you get to treat me like Jamie. And I want sex. Now."

"Ari, I promise you all the sex you want when I get home tonight. But right now, I am putting you to bed. No arguments. And I'm going to call Mark. He's not working today. I'm going to have him come over and help take care of Jamie because I want you well rested for when I get home tonight," Callie added with a wink.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended**

**

* * *

**

Arizona was finally about to finish up the first trimester of her pregnancy. She couldn't wait because it was getting increasingly harder to hide it without her friends and coworkers figuring it out. For Arizona, it wasn't just morning sickness. It was all day sickness that seemed to be never ending. On many occasions she had to quickly dash from a patient's room to make it to the bathroom. She didn't even have the extra speed of her Heelys as Callie had banned those from touching Arizona's feet as soon as she found out she was pregnant. Thankfully, Addison was a savior and provided her with a prescription of Reglan to help control the nausea.

Callie couldn't help it that she suddenly became over protective of Arizona as soon as she found out she was carrying their child. Suddenly, every meal included tons of vegetables and Callie even managed to switch Arizona's coffee to decaf without her knowledge. It took Arizona over a week to realize that she wasn't getting her daily caffeine in the mornings as she headed out the door to work. The outlash Callie received once Arizona did figure it out wasn't pretty but Callie took it in stride. She knew that Arizona was hormonal and not to take everything personally. Arizona did manage to convince Callie that one small cup of coffee daily wasn't going to harm the baby. She printed out stacks of studies and research that supported her and in the end Callie couldn't say no to Arizona's baby blue eyes.

* * *

Arizona escaped the hospital for lunch and headed toward Callie's office nearby. Callie was on the phone staring out her window so Arizona was able to slip in unnoticed and catch her wife off-guard.

"Ready, Dr. Torres?" Arizona whispered as she wrapped her arms around the Latina who was still on the phone.

Callie turned around, smiled and rolled her eyes pointing toward the phone. Arizona took the opportunity to attack Callie's neck causing Callie to moan into the phone. Callie was quickly able to claim an emergency and get off the phone.

Arizona continued to suck on Callie's neck much to the dismay of her wife. "Arizona, as much as I am really enjoying this, you really have to stop. We have to go see Addison."

Addison had perfect timing as she walked into her partner's office clearing her throat.

Callie pulled away from Arizona, "And here she is now."

Addison smiled at the couple, "I can leave you two alone to continue this or we can go look at your baby."

Addison didn't have to say that twice. Arizona quickly peeled herself from Callie and headed toward the exam room.

Arizona changed into the gown and hopped up on the table, ready to see her child for the second time. The first time it was only just a blob and she was in tears before the ultrasound wand hit her stomach.

Addison entered and started her exam. "So, Arizona, I know what Callie tells me everyday but I want to hear it from you, is everything going okay?"

Arizona glared at Callie, "You mean besides my overbearing and overprotective wife?"

Addison smiled, "She's not used to not being in control, Arizona. She can't help it. Everything looks good down here. Let's get a picture now."

Callie moved to sit by Arizona's head and grabbed her hand. Both were nervous. As doctors they know just how many things can go wrong in the early stages of pregnancy. They just wanted to hear the heartbeat and then they could relax.

Addison could sense the nerves in the room so she worked quickly to get the ultrasound machine turned on. While Arizona and Callie were lost looking at each other Addison slipped the gel and wand onto Arizona's stomach. Almost immediately a fast paced thumping filled the room and Callie and Arizona's eyes instantly filled with tears and darted to the image on the screen.

It amazed Arizona how much the baby grew in the three weeks since their last ultrasound. What was once just a small dot on the screen now had a discernable head and body.

After a few minutes of checking over the baby Addison declared both mother and baby to be in perfect health. She left Arizona and Callie to get dressed, sensing the emotion in the room she knew the couple needed some alone time. "Are we all having lunch? Mark's coming by," Addison asked on her way out of the room.

Callie answered, never taking her eyes off of Arizona and the picture she held in her hands, "Yeah. It's the perfect time to tell him our secret."

* * *

Addison, Callie and Arizona were all hanging out in Callie's office laughing when Mark Sloan walked in. He walked over toward Addie and greeted her with a kiss.

"Nice of you to join us, Sloan. Now we can finally eat," Callie greeted him as she reached down for the Chinese takeout containers and passed one to Arizona.

Mark moved to sit next to Addison on the couch, "I didn't realize you all were waiting on me. What are you doing away from the rugrats, Blondie?"

"Can't I come have lunch with my beautiful wife?" Arizona said as she glanced at Callie, silently telling her to tell Mark.

"Yeah, but normally you don't look so guilty about it," Mark said between bites.

Callie put down her container of sweet and sour chicken. "Well, there was another reason she came to visit today." Callie pulled out the ultrasound picture and passed it over to him.

Mark smiled looking at the picture, "I get a new godchild?"

"You don't seem surprised? I wanted to surprise you!" Callie whined at her best friend.

Mark laughed, "It was kind of hard to miss Blondie running to the bathroom looking green for a few weeks. Stomach viruses don't last that long. I'm more than just a pretty face, Cal. I do have a brain." Mark paused, "Jamie will be a great big brother. I'm going to teach him to be the best."

Arizona looked worried, "I'm not sure I trust that, Manwhore. Who knows what you'll teach him."

"I'm a reformed manwhore thank you very much," Mark replied while looking at Addison.

Callie piped in, "And we haven't told Jamie yet, so if you happen to see him in the hospital daycare today. Don't say anything to him."

The four friends spent the rest of their lunch laughing together. Arizona and Callie were still on the high from seeing their unborn child. Unbeknownst to them, both Mark and Addison were thinking about how they both wished it was them having a baby. Mark and Addie both made mental notes that they needed to talk about their future.

* * *

Arizona arrived home only a half hour after Callie. They planned on telling Jamie that he was going to have a little brother or sister that night. Arizona walked into the house to find Callie working on dinner in the kitchen and Jamie playing with his toys in the living room. Arizona made a quick stop in the living room to say hello to Jamie before she went to the kitchen to meet Callie.

Arizona walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a familiar smell that she normally loved – Callie's chicken piccata. It was their staple dish and Callie always made it for important occasions. As soon as Arizona smelled the chicken cooking she felt her stomach flip. Callie smiled as she saw Arizona walk into the kitchen and waited behind the stove for her wife to come kiss her. Instead she saw Arizona grab her mouth and run upstairs to the bathroom.

Callie pulled the chicken off the stove and went to check on her wife. She found her sitting on the bathroom floor, leaning against the wall. Callie couldn't help but smile at the sight. As much as she knew it sucked for Arizona, every time she saw Arizona get sick it was a reminder that she was pregnant.

Callie slumped down the wall to comfort Arizona. "We're not having chicken for dinner are we?" Callie murmured into Arizona's hair.

Arizona was still feeling queasy so she only managed to shake her head no.

"How about I order some pizza instead? Just cheese?" Callie asked.

Arizona frowned, "That sounds better. Sorry for ruining your dinner."

Callie kissed Arizona's temple, "You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. You're not in charge of your body anymore. This baby just doesn't know how awesome my chicken picatta is yet. It will learn once it's born, trust me. That will definitely be his or her first real meal, I'll even puree it into baby food."

Arizona smiled. She knew that Callie would throw a fit if her child didn't like her staple meal or any of her cooking really.

Callie felt Arizona smile, "Feel like getting up off the bathroom floor yet?"

"Yeah, let's go order some pizza because I'm starving."

* * *

Callie and Arizona decided to tell Jamie their big news while they were waiting for the pizza to arrive. Jamie was busy playing with Spot in the backyard when his moms walked out to talk to him.

"Hey Jam, come here for a minute," Callie called to her son.

Jamie frowned at having to stop playing but after receiving a lengthy time out the week before for not listening to his moms, he was more than willing to come when he was beckoned.

"What?" Jamie asked.

"We need to talk to you," Callie said as she pulled Jamie to sit down between them.

Arizona started, "You remember how you asked for a little brother last Christmas but we told you that Santa doesn't bring things that are alive for gifts?"

Jamie nodded.

Callie took over, "Well, it won't be here by Christmas you're going to have a little brother or sister in six months."

"I don't want a sister. Only a brother," Jamie said.

Arizona laughed and ruffled his hair, "I'm sorry buddy. But you don't get to choose. That's not the way it works."

"How does it work?" Jamie asked and Arizona's eyes widened in shock. She did not want to have the baby making talk with her son before he is even 5 years old.

Callie looked at Arizona and smirked, "Yeah, Ari. How does it work?"

Arizona started to stutter and chose to skip over the whole babymaking part, "Right now the baby is still growing and it hasn't decided if it will be a boy or a girl yet. We should know in a few more weeks."

Jamie said firmly, "Where is the baby now?"

Arizona pointed to her stomach.

"It's in you?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, it's growing inside me." Arizona said as Callie grabbed Jamie's hand and put it over where the baby was located.

"The baby is right there, Jam. In another month or two, you'll be able to feel the baby moving."

Jamie pulled his hand away, "Eww."

Callie laughed, "It's not eww, Jamie. You were once inside me too. While you were growing and getting big you were in my belly. But you couldn't wait to come meet me so you came out a month early. But we're going to tell this little one to stay in there as long as possible."

Jamie leaned down and put his head next to Arizona's stomach.

"What are you doing, Jamie?" Arizona asked confused.

"Telling it to be a boy. I really don't want a sister. Girls are icky."

Callie and Arizona couldn't help but belly laugh at their son's response to getting a little sibling.

* * *

"How's the pizza working out for you?" Callie asked Arizona as they settled into the couch.

Arizona patted her stomach, "Very good."

"Baby likes it?"

"Mmhm. Very much." Arizona replied as she snuggled into the couch pillows. She was exhausted after her day at work.

Callie laid down next to Arizona with her head on Arizona's pregnant stomach.

Arizona could hear Callie murmuring things to the baby, "Calliope, what are you doing down there?"

Callie looked up and grinned, "Telling it to be a girl."

Arizona reached down and pulled Callie up to her, "I'm not sure I want to deal with Jamie's wrath if it's not a boy. He definitely has your fiery temper."

Callie started lightly stroking Arizona's stomach and smiled, "Well, I'm not sure you want to deal with my wrath if it's not a girl."

Arizona smiled into Callie's hair, "I still can't believe we're here. I had given up on my fairytale ever coming true, but you've made dreams I didn't even know I had come true."

"Me too. Me too," Callie whispered into Arizona's neck.

Arizona laced her fingers with Callie's, "You know we're in the second trimester now."

Callie nodded as Arizona released their fingers and began to trail her fingers down Callie's arm.

"You know what they say about the second trimester?"

"What's that?" Callie responded, playing dumb. She knew full well what Arizona was referencing.

"They say that it makes you very horny," Arizona whispered as her hand grazed Callie's breasts.

Callie moved her mouth so that she was breathing down Arizona's neck and began kissing, "Oh really? Do you feel that way?"

Arizona was enjoying the attention she was receiving from her wife, "Very. Can you help me? You're the one that is so overbearing and wanting to attend to my every need. And right now, I need you."

Callie jumped off the couch and slid her hands under Arizona's body. She wasted no effort picking up the petite blonde and carrying her upstairs where she fully intended on fulfilling Arizona's every need.

* * *

The morning that Arizona woke up and realized she actually had a bump she was so excited she woke Callie up even though the Latina didn't have to be at work for another four hours. The bump became a magnet for Callie's hand. If they were near each other, Callie's hand would always be resting on their baby.

They tried to include Jamie in as much as possible to keep him from getting too jealous. He had been an only child for so long that they knew he would have a period of adjustment when his new sibling came along. They wanted Jamie to bond with the baby before it was even born so they had him read to the baby every night. It helped them bond and it helped Jamie with his reading skills.

Arizona's fifth month was also Jamie's birthday month. Callie and Arizona went all out for the little boy's birthday. The backyard was transformed into a racetrack with powerwheels for all the kids to race on. Arizona wanted her shot on the track with one of the powerwheels but Callie put her foot down on that as well.

Arizona pouted, "Calliope, they don't even get going 1 mile per hour. I _drive_ to work everyday going 60."

Callie shook her head, "Nope. The weight limit is like 50 pounds on those things anyway."

"And now you're calling me fat."

Callie rolled her eyes and shook her head, 'There is no reasoning with a pregnant woman,' she thought.

Arizona stalked off to find some food while Callie went to sit by Addison.

"Addie, was I crazy when I was pregnant?" Callie asked.

Addison laughed, "Yes. Getting a taste of your own medicine?"

Callie gritted her teeth, "She just doesn't make any sense."

"Only about four more months to go," Addison patted her on the back.

Addison and Callie relaxed and watched Jamie playing with both of his grandfathers while Arizona was chatting with both grandmothers.

"Mark and I have talked about trying to have one," Addison remarked as they watched their friends and family.

"Really?" Callie questioned.

"Yeah, we're looking into egg donors."

Callie turned toward Addison, "That's great. You would both be great parents. Plus, you have had a lot of practice with Jamie."

Addison smiled, "Hopefully we'll have some news of our own soon."

Arizona walked up and sat by Callie, "My mother is killing me. She keeps telling me everything I'm doing wrong."

Callie rubbed Arizona's back, "I'm sorry baby. She's just looking out for you."

"I'm just sick of people thinking I'm stupid because I'm pregnant," Arizona leaned against Callie. "I'm sorry for getting mad earlier."

Callie kissed her head, "I forgive you. Ready to do the cake? I'm sure you're hungry. And I've seen you eyeing it all day."

Arizona nodded and Callie rounded everyone up to sing Happy Birthday to Jamie. After the crowd dwindled Callie and Arizona enjoyed a quiet evening with Jamie. Jamie and Arizona both crashed hard from the sugar high they received from the cake. They waited until after dinner to share their gifts with the boy. Jamie screamed when he saw the new bicycle they had gotten him. He had one more gift to open he tore open the wrapping paper before reading the card. It was a pair of GI Joe toys.

"Hey Jamie, you need to open the card and see who those are from so you can thank them properly," Arizona told her son.

Jamie grabbed the card and sat in Callie's lap. He knew he'd need her help to read it. "What's it say, Mama?"

It says "Jamie, I can't wait to meet you and play with you. Love, your little brother."

Jamie looked at Callie confused.

"It's from your little brother, Jamie," Arizona said as she pointed to her stomach.

"It's a boy?" Jamie asked.

Callie smiled, "Yes, it's a boy."

Jamie hugged Callie and ran to hug Arizona.

"Now you have to be a good big brother and share your toys with him when he is old enough to play. Are you going to do that?" Arizona asked as Jamie kissed her stomach.

Jamie nodded and got up to go to his room, "I'm going to show him all of my toys."

Callie pulled Arizona into her arms.

"I'm sorry it's not a girl for you," Arizona mumbled into Callie's shoulder.

Callie smiled, "That's okay. It just means we have to have another and try for a girl."

* * *

Arizona was napping in her office. It was something that was becoming more of a regular occurrence as her pregnancy progressed. She often wondered how something so tiny could zap all of her energy.

Callie made her way to the hospital. Two days a week she performed her surgeries at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Partnering with SGMW had it perks like being able to spend extra time with Arizona when they were both at the hospital at the same time and seeing Jamie during the days he spent there. Callie made her way to Arizona's office, hoping to score a lunch date with the blonde. It was her last day of work before going on maternity leave for three months. When she opened the office door she smiled at the sight of her very pregnant wife, drooling on her couch.

Callie quickly retreated and headed toward the cafeteria. She knew Arizona would be hungry when she woke up. She was always hungry. Callie filled her tray with several options for Arizona, not knowing what exactly Arizona was craving that day, and quietly re-entered her office.

Callie tried her best to be quiet in the dark but her clumsiness caught up with her and she tripped against the coffee table causing her to yelp and make her presence known to the sleepy blonde.

Arizona gradually opened one eye to see who dared to wake the sleeping pregnant woman. When she saw Callie standing there frowning she simply groaned and closed her eyes again.

For most of her pregnancy Arizona loved being pregnant. She loved growing a tiny human inside of her especially once the morning sickness passed. But now, after 37 weeks she was ready to evict the baby. She wanted to be able to sleep more than 30 minutes at a time without being woken up having to pee or with a sharp kick to the ribs.

Callie moved to sit by Arizona and gently lifted the blonde's head into her lap. "Not having a good day, baby?"

Arizona simply moaned while Callie continued to stroke her head.

Callie tried to pacify the testy pregnant woman on her lap, "Not too much longer. It's almost over."

Arizona muttered under her breath and rolled over so that she was on her back looking up at her wife. "You did this to me," she scolded.

Callie tried to choke back her laughter knowing that laughing would only piss off Arizona more. Callie caressed Arizona's protruding belly feeling the baby kick her, "I'm sorry. It'll all be worth it though, I promise."

"It better be," Arizona muttered under her breath.

Callie smiled, "Maybe, you'll feel better if you eat something. I brought food."

Callie moved to help Arizona sit up. Arizona looked woozy as she sat up. "You okay, babe?" Callie questioned.

"Just a little light headed," Arizona claimed. "I'll be better once I eat. I'm starving."

Callie looked her wife up and down taking in her appearance, "Okay."

Arizona was right, she was starving. She demolished her lasagna in record time and even managed to eat half of Callie's french fries before Callie swatted her hand away. After finishing up her food Arizona glanced at her watch and frowned at the time. She still had over six hours left in her work day.

Callie noticed her wife's frown, "You sure I can't convince you to blow this joint early?"

Arizona smiled, "I wish. Six more hours and then Jamie and I are going to spend our days laying on the couch watching soap operas until this one finally decides to show up."

Callie noticed the time and realized that she needed to get up to surgery herself. She leaned down and placed a kiss on Arizona's stomach before gracing her wife's lips with her own.

"I'll see you at home. I'll take Jamie home with me since I'll be done first. Call or page me if you need anything," Callie said before she walked out the door.

Arizona grumbled, "I still blame you for this."

Callie smiled as she headed up to surgery.

* * *

Arizona was finally smiling. The end of her workday was in sight. She was about to go do an appendectomy and then she would be able to go home and not worry about any tiny humans except her own for the next three months. She was able to forget the pains of her pregnancy and her headache as she waltzed into the operating room for the last time for months.

Arizona was almost finished with the surgery when she suddenly felt very dizzy. She took a step back from the table and took a minute to compose herself. Her scrub nurse asked if she was okay and Arizona nodded. After regaining her composure she stepped back to the table and continued the surgery until a few minutes later another wave of dizziness hit her. Arizona knew something was wrong. She asked the nurse to page Dr. Karev to take over. She turned to her intern and told him to go find Dr. Torres who was performing a knee replacement in OR 4.

Mark appeared out of nowhere and guided Arizona to a wheelchair and took her up to Labor and Delivery. She was soon situated in the uncomfortable hospital gown waiting for Addison to show up. Just as Arizona closed her eyes to wait, Addison showed up.

"You ready to have a baby today?" Addison asked.

Arizona looked shocked, "No! I have three more weeks. We're not ready. The nursery isn't ready yet."

Addison sat down next to Arizona and took her hand, "Well, I hate to break it to you Arizona but you're going to have a baby in the next few hours. It looks like preeclampsia. We have to get him out…as soon as Callie gets here."

Arizona whined, "But I don't want a C-section."

Mark interjected, "I'll make sure the scar is tiny. I'll close it myself."

Addison and Mark left Arizona alone to wait for Callie. They went to start getting the OR prepped for her surgery. As they were standing outside Arizona's room Callie came barreling at them. She ran right into Addison.

"Where is she? How is the baby? I knew something was wrong during lunch. I should have noticed this," Callie said with tears in her eyes.

Addison reached out to rub Callie's arm, "She's okay. The baby's okay. We caught it in time. We've just got to get your son out as soon as possible. We're prepping now. Now, go calm Arizona down. She's freaking out."

* * *

Callie entered Arizona's hospital room to find her wife curled in a ball crying on the bed. Callie rushed to her side and jumped onto the bed behind Arizona to comfort her.

"Shh. It's okay, Ari. Just think that we're going to get to meet him soon." Callie tried to make light of the situation, "We really shouldn't have put off picking a name for so long."

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault," Arizona said between sobs.

Callie was rubbing Arizona's back, "Ari, this isn't your fault. No one could have seen this coming. Your BP has been normal throughout the whole pregnancy until now."

Arizona turned around in Callie's arms so that they were now facing each other. Callie reached out to wipe her tears away. "We're going to have a baby today," Callie smiled as she leaned in to kiss Arizona.

"What about William?" Arizona cried into Callie's neck.

"What?" Callie asked, unsure of what she heard Arizona mumble.

"William. It was my brother Daniel's middle name."

"I like William. We could go with Will or Liam as a nickname. What do you think?" Callie said as she stroked Arizona's hair.

Arizona smiled, "As long as it isn't Willie."

Addison entered the room and was happy to see Arizona smiling. "Ready to have a baby, ladies?"

Callie looked down at Arizona, "Can't wait."

* * *

Less than an hour later Callie and Arizona met their son, William Carlos Torres. He was perfect at five pounds seven ounces with a head full of dirty blonde hair and deep blue eyes that Callie was sure were going to stay blue.

Arizona was resting after the C-section. The drugs had made her sleepy so Callie sat in their hospital room unable to take her eyes off of her new son. She couldn't get over how perfect he was.

Callie picked Will up and cradled him close to her, "Hi Will. I'm your Mama. I am so happy that you are here. You are going to have an amazing life, Will. Mommy and I love you so much. I can't wait to teach you how to speak Spanish, how to play video games and how to be a gentleman among many, many things. I'm sure your Mommy will teach you how to roll around on those ridiculous shoes as soon as you can walk and I promise to fix you if you hurt yourself on them but only after a stern lecture. Your big brother, Jamie is going to teach you so many things too. He's going to teach you how to get into trouble, but that's okay because that's what brothers do together."

Will began to cry and Arizona roused from her sleep.

"I think someone's hungry," Arizona mumbled.

Callie passed her Will, "That is something that I can't take care of, unfortunately."

Arizona smiled as she looked at her son, "You better hope your brother doesn't get you into too much trouble, buddy."

Callie blushed, "How much did you hear?"

"Hmm. All of it. I think it's cute," Arizona couldn't take her eyes off of Will, "He's perfect isn't he?"

Callie moved to sit next to Arizona on the bed, "Yeah, he is. He's our son, so I expect nothing less."

"Come here and kiss me, because it hurts to move," Arizona demanded.

Callie did as she was told.

* * *

Jamie had been bouncing with excitement ever since Mark went to his daycare and told him that his brother was going to arrive soon. When Mark showed up to take him to see his moms he practically ran to the car and buckled himself in.

Mark made sure that Jamie knew that he had to be calm once he entered the hospital room. He explained that his Mom was hurt in her tummy so he had to be gentle and use his quiet voice in the room.

Jamie walked into the room and was wide eyed as Callie bent down and scooped him up in her arms.

"Hey Jam," Callie greeted as she kissed him. She walked him over to the bed where Arizona was holding Will, "Jamie this is your brother, William."

Jamie didn't know what to think of the tiny baby, "Can I hold him?"

Arizona smiled, "Sure but you have to sit very still and be very careful, okay?"

Jamie nodded as Callie put him on the bed. She had him hold his arms out and gently placed the baby in his arms while Callie helped him. Jamie leaned down and placed a kiss on the baby's lips, "Hi baby."

Arizona had tears in her eyes as she watched her sons interact. When Will started crying Callie took Will from Jamie and rubbed his back to console him.

Jamie frowned, "I didn't do anything! Why is he crying?"

Arizona noticed Jamie was near tears himself, "Jamie, Will's a baby so he's going to cry a lot, sometimes for no reason."

Jamie smiled and pulled his stuffed puppy from his jacket, "Here. I want Will to have puppy. It will help him make him feel better when he cries."

Arizona's eyes started tearing up again, 'Damn hormones,' she thought. Arizona motioned for Jamie to come closer and hugged him, "He's going to love it, Jam. You are such a good big brother."

* * *

Because of Will's early arrival, Callie still had a few scheduled surgeries to perform before her scheduled time off. She decided to perform the surgeries as they would only take her away from home for a few hours a day.

Will was now six days old and Callie had just finished her last surgery before she started what would be three uninterrupted weeks with her family. It was only five in the evening but Callie still crept through the house, knowing that Will could be sleeping and not wanting to wake him up. She didn't want to face Arizona's wrath if she woke the sleeping baby.

Callie entered the house quietly and found no signs of life in the whole house. Even the television was off. She made her way upstairs continuing to look for her family. After looking in Jamie's room and finding it empty she began to get concerned. Callie made her way to the master bedroom when she opened the door her heart started beating faster. On the bed was Callie's dream come true. Callie couldn't help but shed a tear at the sight. Jamie was curled up next to Arizona who had Will lying on her chest. All three were sleeping soundly.

Callie couldn't believe how lucky she was. Jamie was now healthy, she married the love of her life and together they added another child to their family. Callie wiped her tears away, slipped off her shoes and walked to the bed. She left a kiss on top of Jamie's head and moved to lie on the other side of Arizona. She wrapper her arm around the blonde's waist as she placed a kiss on her shoulder and then one on Will's head.

Callie slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.


	30. Epilogue

Disclaimer: All characters are property of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Not super happy with the epilogue but nothing else was coming to me so I figured it best to just post it now. I never thought this would last 30 chapters and get so many reviews. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, subscribed to the story. I appreciate it. I'll be back, once I get another story idea. Thanks!

**

* * *

4 years later**

"Baby, please stop pacing," Arizona asked her wife who was pacing around the doctor's office.

"Today is a big day," Callie sighed while wringing her hands.

"Cal. Not only are you driving me crazy with your pacing but you're getting Sarah way too excited," Arizona stated as she tried to hold the wiggling girl in her lap still.

Callie stopped in front of Arizona and smiled. She looked at the toddler in Arizona's lap and reached her hands out to pick her up. "You're just fine, aren't you baby girl?"

Sarah giggled, "Uh huh."

Callie relented to Arizona's pleas and took a seat next to her wife on the couch. Just as she was seated the door to the office flung open.

"Callie, Arizona. It's good to see you two again," Dr. Brown stated as she moved to sit behind her desk.

"So…" Arizona began, hoping the doctor would get the hint and tell them the results.

Dr. Brown smiled, "It's official. As of today Jamie is 5 years cancer free…"

Callie, who was still holding Sarah, jumped up and embraced Dr. Brown in a hug with the wiggly girl between them.

"He is officially in remission," Dr. Brown continued while still being gripped by the Latina.

Callie released her hold on the doctor and turned toward her wife who had tears in her eyes. Arizona quickly took Callie in her arms. "This is all because of you," Callie sniffled into Arizona's hair, "you saved him."

"Mommy!" Sarah cried, "Too tight!" Sarah's cries broke the embrace shared by the two lovers.

Dr. Brown cleared her throat, "Not that the last five years haven't been good, but I can honestly say that I hope that don't have to see you two either again."

"Thank you, Dr. Brown. I really hope we don't have to see you ever again either," Arizona laughed.

* * *

"Jamie! Will! Stop playing video games and get down here!" Arizona yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Jamie flew down the stairs quickly followed by his shorter and slower little brother. Arizona stopped the two and set about straightening their clothes.

"Moooooom," Jamie cried, "Chill. I liked my shirt the way it was."

"James, you are not going to go to your party looking like you just threw your clothes on from the laundry basket," Arizona sternly told him.

Jamie managed to escape his mother's attention when she turned her focus on Will.

Arizona kneeled down to Will's level, "Promise me you won't grow up, baby. You still like my attention, don't you?"

"Mommy I want to go outside," Will said as he planted a kiss on her cheek before he ran off to the backyard, following his big brother.

"At least Sarah still wants me around," Arizona muttered as she walked toward the kitchen where she found her daughter and wife working on a tray of appetizers.

"Boys suck," Arizona said as she leaned in for a kiss from her two favorite girls.

Callie smiled, "What did the boys do this time?"

"They're growing up. I don't like it. Jamie just told me to chill. He actually said chill. I can't even believe that is a word kids are still using these days," Arizona pouted as she took Sarah from Callie.

Callie chuckled, "I'm sorry, babe. At least they're not teenagers yet."

Arizona frowned, "Don't remind me. Anything I can do to help?"

Callie looked at her wife lovingly and reached up to stroke her cheek, "I'm just finishing up. Why don't you and Sarah go enjoy the party and I'll be right out."

* * *

Callie walked into her backyard and took in the scene. She saw her whole family enjoying the perfect Seattle summer night. She watched as her parents sat with Arizona's family and laughed as they took turns holding Sarah. She turned to the playground and watched as Mark and Derek pushed the kids on the swings while the women of Seattle Grace Mercy West sat on the deck holding their smaller children while enjoying a drink. Her eyes kept finding Arizona, who was laughing with Addison as she cradled Addison and Mark's newset child.

As she watched the people in the backyard she couldn't help but smile. She couldn't believe that this backyard full of people was her family even if not by blood. They had been there for her through the difficult times and were still with her to celebrate her son's remission. She was so lost in thought when she felt familiar arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey sexy," Arizona whispered into Callie's ear.

"Mmm. Hi."

"You looked deep in thought. Care to share?" Arizona questioned.

Callie turned in Arizona's arms so that they were facing each other, "Just how happy I am."

Arizona leaned up to place a chaste kiss on her lover's lips, "I love you."

"I love you too, Ari."

Arizona leaned her head against Callie's shoulder, "I wish we could pause this moment. Today has been perfect."

* * *

The sun was starting to set in Seattle and the soft glow of the lamps on the tables lit the backyard. The older kids had long gone inside to play video games while the adults were still enjoying drinks and desert.

Callie watched as her father held Will who had fallen asleep against him after one of his long winded stories. Arizona's arms were also full of a curly head of brown hair and pudgy arms wrapped around her neck.

Callie stood up and cleared her throat trying to get the group's attention. She didn't want to make too much noise for fear of waking up the kids and having a group of cranky babies on her hands. Luckily, her friends and family noticed and stopped their side conversations to pay attention to Callie.

"All of you know that I really don't like to do any type of public speaking," Callie started.

"Remember lecture day and the pee dance?" Cristina yelled out. "That was awesome."

Callie continued, choosing to ignore Cristina, "I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out tonight. And thanks to Derek for ensuring that all the Seattle Grace people had the evening off. Five years ago, I came back to Seattle with a little boy who was dying. It was thanks to everyone here that he is still with us today. And today we are here to celebrate his cancer remission. There is no way that we both would have survived if it weren't for you guys. From being his doctors, watching cartoons with him and holding my hand, each and every one of you is why we are here today. So, I just wanted to say thank you."

By the time Callie finished her speech she had tears in her eyes. Her friends all held up their glasses and toasted to Jamie and his recovery.

* * *

After the last of their guests had left, Arizona and Callie made one more round of their children's bedrooms ensuring that they were all sound asleep before entering their own bedroom.

"So, how about we celebrate five years of being cancer free?" Callie asked her wife as she pulled off her shirt.

Arizona smiled, "And how would we do that?"

"I do believe that I owe a certain pediatric surgeon my life for saving Jamie, so I would be pretty willing to do whatever she wanted," Callie said as she peeled off pants.

"Whatever I want?" Arizona said as she rid herself of her own clothes.

Callie nodded, "All night long."

Sprawled out on the bed the two lovers caught their breath.

"That was amazing," Arizona sighed.

"Mmhm," Callie replied as she pulled Arizona closer to her.

"Who would have thought that it would just keep getting better after all this time?" Arizona mumbled aloud.

"Did you doubt my skills?" Callie looked at Arizona inquisitively.

"Never," Arizona smiled shyly.

"We should probably get some sleep," Callie said, "the kids will be up early tomorrow. They know their grandparents are going to be in town all week."

Arizona linked her hand with Callie's, "Thank you."

"For what?" Callie questioned as she pulled a stray curl away from Arizona's face.

"For coming back to me. I can't imagine not having you, Jamie, Will and Sarah in my life. And I wouldn't have any of this if you hadn't come back to me. I'd still be living in this huge house all by myself. I wouldn't have crayon drawings covering the fridge. I wouldn't trip over toy trucks every morning on my way to work. I wouldn't have dirty handprints on the windows. I wouldn't wake up to cries and laughter every morning. I would have never seen Jamie's first day of school, Will's first words or Sarah's first steps… I wouldn't have my family."

Callie pulled Arizona into a deep kiss that contained more emotion than either woman could say aloud.

Callie whispered, "You don't have to thank me. It was fate. We're meant for each other. We always have been. We just had to take the long way to get here."


End file.
